Amnesia
by JessieWills
Summary: Two years after Always, Caskett are happily married but what happens when an accident destroys the walls they've gotten past in two years? And what happens when there's more than just Rick and Kate that are affected by this disaster? Disclaimer: I don't own Castle, never have and I never will!
1. Chapter 1

**Yes I'm starting a new story but well, I wanted to write another one as I don't really have anything else to be doing (except for revising and homework and cleaning, all of which is dull). Anyway, hopefully you enjoy this and well, please review, it does mean a lot to me and other writers when you take the time to write down your thoughts on a story, it doesn't even have to be that long a comment. **

**Quick background information- this is set around two years after Always and Castle and Beckett have been married a year. **

"When's Castle getting back from his meeting?" Ryan asked quickly as Kate looked across at him and shrugged, relaxing back into her chair before she glanced across at the elevator and sighed. He'd been gone almost four hours and she knew his meeting with Gina had only taken two hours because he'd texted her the moment he'd left, telling her that he was going to buy lunch on the way back to the precinct. Hearing her phone practically scream at her, Kate leant across and grabbed the offending object, not even bothering to stare down at the caller ID as she pressed the answer button and held it against her ear.

"Beckett," she said simply, knowing that it probably wouldn't be a case as she shut her eyes, waiting for the caller to answer. "Hello?" she asked.

"Is this Mrs Castle? Richard Castle's wife," a male voice asked as she bit into her lip, concerned by the man's tone as she slowly began to sit up straight.

"Yes, I'm Rick's wife, what's going on? Who is this?" she questioned, desperately waiting for some answers as she turned to look to see Javier and Kevin working silently on their paperwork, a small smile covering her face when she watched Esposito throw a ball of paper at the Irish detective, the paper ball hitting the other man in the head as Kate bit into her lip for a moment.

"Mrs Castle, I'm Doctor Wilde, your husband was brought into our hospital almost an hour ago," he declared, the smile immediately disappearing from Kate's face as she remained still, not knowing what to say . "Mrs Castle your husband was involved in an accident, his cab was hit by a vehicle that overran a red light and although he didn't require surgery, we are concerned about any possible head injuries that might have occurred in the collision," the man explained as Kate slowly stood up and reached across for her jacket and began to pull it on, not knowing what to say to anyone as she continued to hold the phone between her ear and shoulder.

"Beckett," Javier said behind them quietly as she remained still.

"Is he awake? Is Rick awake?" the brunette quickly asked, unable to stop her body from shaking as she thought about her husband. Was he in pain? Was he awake? Had he slowly been losing his life while she'd been sat at her desk waiting for her lunch? The thought of him in pain without her even knowing made her feel sick.

"He's currently unconscious Mrs Castle," the doctor said truthfully, Kate's eyes shutting slowly as she nodded to herself. That meant he wasn't dead. That meant he could be okay!

"I'm coming to the hospital right now, I'll be there," Kate stated, putting the phone down quickly before wrapping her arms around herself, not knowing what to say as she heard someone push their chair back behind her before walking towards her.

"Kate?" Javier said quietly, watching as she slowly turned to look at him with tears in her eyes. "What's going on?" he questioned as she shook her head and slowly moved her arms around her friend, not knowing what to say as he held her for a moment. "What's happened to Castle?"

"He's in hospital, his cab was hit. Oh god Javi, I didn't even know," she said, not needing to go into any more detail as the man slowly began to lead her towards the elevator.

"Ryan, call Martha and Alexis, let them know that Castle's been taken to hospital and we'll text you the details when we get there," he called out, stepping into the elevator as Kate stood silently, her eyes staring down at her wedding and engagement rings, her fingers slowly running across them as she bit into her lip. "He's going to be fine Beckett, he's a fighter, he's proven that so many times, and he's got so much to fight for now," Esposito promised, his voice quietly confident as she nodded, still remaining silent as she tried to think about what to say.

"He was only supposed to be at the stupid meeting, he was only getting me lunch because he knew I'd forgotten to bring some to work this morning," she said guiltily, her eyes remaining focused on the two rings. It wasn't fair. Two years of a romantic relationship, a year of marriage didn't seem long enough for something like this to happen. They were partners and she should have been with him and instead she was at the precinct, waiting for her lunch! "He was in a car crash and I was just sat at work waiting for my lunch to arrive," she whispered, following Javier out of the elevator and towards his car as she ran her hands through her hair, desperately trying to calm down before she arrived at the hospital.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Alexis," Kate said quietly as the student entered the waiting room, concern covering her face as she ran over and tightly wrapped her arms around the brunette, neither of them knowing what to say as Kate kept her as close as she physically could. "He was in a crash on the way to the precinct, they're waiting for him to wake up," the brunette explained as Alexis nodded slowly, knowing everything already from the details she'd received from Kevin as she'd journeyed to the hospital after leaving college to desperately return home to her family who clearly needed her! "They need to check for any possible damage," she admitted.

"He's going to be okay Kate, he's got through a lot worse than a car crash," Alexis said quietly as Kate sat down and nodded, watching as Alexis moved to sit beside her. "Where's grams Kate?" the redhead questioned, noticing that the older woman wasn't present in the room while Javier, Kevin and Lanie were stood by the window, talking amongst themselves in hushed voices.

"She went to get a coffee. I think she needed a moment to take everything in," Kate explained briefly as Alexis nodded at her comment and slowly took hold of Kate's hand, squeezing it gently as the brunette smiled across at her for a brief moment before looking away when the door opened and Martha stepped into the room and sat down beside her granddaughter.

"The doctor is walking this way," Martha said quietly as everyone nodded slowly and watched as the door opened and Doctor Wilde entered the room and stared at them before sighing. "How's my son?" Martha asked quickly as the man looked across at her and smiled weakly.

"You're able to see Richard now Ms Rodgers, Mrs Castle and you must be Alexis," the dark haired man said simply as Martha, Alexis and Kate immediately stood up, concern covering their faces as they looked at the doctor for a moment. "He's beginning to wake up but I'm going to remain present, just in case there's anything concerning," he announced as the three of them nodded and slowly followed him out of the waiting room. Walking silently down the busy corridor as the doctor led them through the wards towards one of the private rooms, a small sigh left Kate's lips as she watched the doctor open the door and allow them in, her eyes quickly falling upon her husband. He looked like he was sleeping, so peaceful in the bed except for the scratches and bruises that were covering his face, clearly indicating that he'd been involved in some sort of accident.

"Oh Castle," Kate said quietly, watching her husband from the doorway as Alexis and Martha moved closer, the brunette remaining perfectly still as she watched the writer begin to move in the bed, a small groaning his lips as she took a step towards him. "Castle?" she asked quietly, still standing nervously behind Martha and Alexis as she watched him blink a couple of times.

"Dad?" Alexis questioned quickly, her voice almost silent as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Mr Castle, can you hear me?" Doctor Wilde announced, his voice the loudest in the room as Rick slowly opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling for a moment.

"Yeah, I can hear you," Rick said quietly, a large smile covering the three women's faces as Alexis found his hand and squeezed it, smiling when her father looked up at her. "You've cut your hair," he commented, his hand reaching up to touch the shoulder length red hair as Alexis stared at him in confusion.

"Dad I haven't. It's grown a lot since I last you," Alexis stated as he shook his head, his fingers still playing with the ends of her hair as Martha and Kate watched in confusion. They knew her hair was longer, a lot longer than when they'd last seen her before college. "I cut it months ago, it's taken forever to grow back. You always laugh when I see you," she commented.

"Alexis, you had long hair at your graduation. I saw you pumpkin; we had a picture taken together. You had long hair at your graduation," he stated as shock covered Alexis' face at what he'd just admitted. "If you check my belongings, you'll find my camera, they'll be a picture of us," he stated as he looked across at the doctor who slowly nodded. "How did you get it cut so quickly? I only just left you, you were going to the party" he questioned.

"Richard what was the last thing you remember?" Martha asked.

"I was in the cab on the way back to the loft, Alexis had gone to her party with Paige and you were going to the Hamptons. I must have been in the cab when the accident happened," he explained before falling silent when Kate gasped, her whole body turning away from him as she looked out of the room. "Beckett?" Rick asked quietly, confusion covering his face as he stared at the back of her. "What the hell are you doing here?" he declared, his voice full of anger and frustration as Kate felt the tears silently run down her cheeks, her hand quickly moving up to violently push them away from her face. Stupid tears!

"Mr Castle, you need to calm down," the doctor stated as Rick continued to glare at the woman in the doorway.

"You're running away again aren't you Beckett? I don't even know why you're here, you clearly don't care. We're over remember, our partnership has ended, no more us, no more Castle and Beckett," he shouted, clearly angry as Kate bit into her lip, her head shaking at the whole idea. Why did he have to go back to then? Why did he have to go back to the exact moment where their partnership had been at its worst? This was just messed up! "Just leave Kate."

"Dad," Alexis hissed as the writer continued to watch the brunette who was still standing in the doorway. "Kate he's just confused about the whole thing," the redhead said quietly as Kate nodded slowly, knowing that Rick had clearly lost his memory from the crash.

"I'm not confused Alexis, for the first time in this whole partnership I'm not confused about where I stand," he stated, watching as Kate turned to face him.

"I'm sorry Castle, I'll leave," she said simply, knowing that this wasn't good for him. He needed to get better, he needed to recover and attempt to get his memory back and she didn't need this either. She didn't need him fighting with her over something they'd dealt with two years ago and was now a distant memory. Looking at his face for a second, Kate noticed the look of shock and horror that was painted across it before she bit into her lip again. So he knew now!

"What is that?" he asked as she remained silent, her eyes glancing down at what she knew he was staring at her. "This is just some sick joke Beckett," he declared, staring at the large bump that Kate's hand was currently resting on. A bump that clearly indicated that she was heavily pregnant!

**So what are your thoughts? Like it, don't like it? **

**Also, I know lots of people are doing amnesia stories but I wanted to do one and I'm hoping you'll enjoy it and well, hopefully it'll be different to other stories on the sight with a similar starting point. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Honestly, you guys are amazing! The amount of fantastic responses I received was truly amazing and I've never had such a response for a first chapter of one of my stories and I'm so happy to hear that many of you are people who have read other stories of mine and are excited about this one as well. **

_"What is that?" he asked as she remained silent, her eyes glancing down at what she knew he was staring at her. "This is just some sick joke Beckett," he declared, staring at the large bump that Kate's hand was currently resting on. A bump that clearly indicated that she was heavily pregnant!_

"Mrs Castle, why don't you go and get some tea? Try and calm down," Doctor Wilde immediately interrupted, looking across at the brunette who ran her hand across her abdomen before nodding and slowly walking towards the door, turning around to face her husband before she left the room.

"It's a baby Castle, it's not a joke," Kate said furiously before storming out of the room, slamming the door behind him as Rick remained silent.

"Richard Castle, you're manners were absolutely disgusting just then," Martha declared, glaring across at her son who stared at her for a moment in confusion, still trying to understand the situation. "Whatever you think right now is wrong and you need to learn to be quiet until you learn the whole situation and can comment upon it properly," the redhead stated as her son crossed his arms before looking across at the silent doctor.

"What's wrong with me?" Rick asked quietly.

"Mr Castle could you tell me what year it is?" the doctor asked gently, moving closer to the bed as Rick stared down at his hands, noticing the wedding ring on his finger. Married again? Three times now? Maybe even more? Oh god, who had he married now?

"It's 2012, my daughter just graduated today, she's abandoning me to go to college and be a genius," he stated as Alexis smiled weakly before shaking her head.

"Dad its 2014, I've been at college for two years now," Alexis said quietly as he looked at her for a moment, still confused as Alexis stared at him.

"Mr Castle, I'm concerned that when you were in the accident you sustained a head injury which has brought on temporary amnesia. Now in these situations it's unclear how long it may take for your memory to return or even if it is going to return," the doctor stated as Rick shook his head for a moment.

"You mean I might not ever remember the last two years?" he asked as the other man nodded. "But I'm married and I don't even know who…" he began quietly before looking across at his daughter who still perched nervously on the end of the bed. "He said Mrs Castle, he called Kate Mrs Castle," he said quietly as Alexis nodded slowly, not knowing what to say. "I'm married to Kate Beckett," he whispered to himself, staring down at the wedding ring before sighing. "And that means…" he said quietly.

"Richard, you're that baby's father and you've just screamed at her saying it was a joke," Martha declared as shock covered the writer's face. He was going to be a father again? He was going to be the father to the baby that Kate was currently pregnant with? "She's seven and a half months pregnant and she's just rushed to hospital, blaming herself for everything that happened to you, and she's just come in here concerned about her husband and you've started shouting at her. You may have lost two years of your life but she's just lost the man she's married too and the father of her baby to a man who's angry at her and she had no relationship with."

"Grams," Alexis said quietly, knowing her grandmother was upset about her father's treatment to Kate but shouting at the writer wasn't going to help. He'd lost his memory, he was confused, and they couldn't blame him for how he'd acted towards Kate.

"Can someone please find Kate for me?" Rick asked quietly. "Seven and a half months pregnant," he whispered to himself as he leaned back against the cushions. "We were over, we ended everything, our partnership was over, she didn't love me, she'd lied to me," he commented to himself, remembering telling her that he knew she knew he loved her and had hidden it from him since the shooting! And yet they were all telling him they were now married, they were having a baby together! "I need to talk to Beckett, I don't understand how we're married," he said quietly as Alexis grabbed his hands and squeezed them.

"You'll remember dad," she said quickly, determined that he would get the memory back. "You'll remember everything and we'll help you, grams and I will help you dad and Kate will too. Kate just needs to get used to the whole idea and she's just upset because you were kind of rude to her," the redhead promised as Rick nodded slowly and stared at her for a moment.

"I called our baby a joke, I told her our baby was a joke," he whispered quietly as he shook his head, guilt covering his face as Alexis tightly wrapped his arms around her for a moment. "You're really in your second year of college pumpkin?" he asked.

"Yes dad," she said quietly.

"I'll go and see whether Kate's found some tea," Martha declared, smiling gently across at her son before moving out of the hospital room. Walking slowly down the corridor as she ran her fingers through her hair, Martha sighed before stepping into the waiting room to see Javier and Kevin sitting in silence. "Have either of you seen Kate?" the redhead questioned as the two detective's looked up for a moment.

"She was upset, Lanie's taken her home," Ryan explained as Martha nodded, not surprised that the brunette had gone home. Kate was still the same detective as she had been years ago before she'd married Rick, she still got scared and dealt with it by running away and hiding, usually in the loft where Rick would follow and hold her and make her talk, make her deal with all the problems. They were a partnership in every aspect of their lives! "Is it true he doesn't remember the last two years?" Kevin asked as Martha nodded slowly.

"Was Kate okay when she found you?" the redhead said nervously.

"She was a bit shaken about the whole thing but she had calmed down by the time she left, Lanie's going to stay with her for a while, make sure she tries to stay calm," Javier explained as Martha nodded, excusing herself before returning to her sons room.

"Where's Kate?" Rick immediately asked as she stepped into the bedroom.

"She's gone home," Martha said simply as Alexis' smile slowly disappeared from her face, neither of them surprised that the brunette had returned to where she felt safe.

"She's run off then," Rick stated.

"She's gone home because she needs to think about the baby, being stressed isn't good and she's trying to do what's best for the baby Richard. You know that, deep down," Martha declared before pressing a kiss to his forehead. "And you'll know it for real darling when you get your memory back Richard."

XOOXOXOXOXOXOX

"You can go home if you want Lanie or back to the hospital," Kate said quietly as she entered the apartment and slowly approached the kitchen, grabbing an apple before taking a bite of it while the ME stood in silence. "I haven't eaten since breakfast; Rick would be so angry…" she began before shaking her head and forcing a smile onto her face. "I start my maternity leave tomorrow, Gates is determined that I need to learn what having a break is before the baby arrives," she laughed, glad that her relationship with the Captain had improved over the years. Although the woman was still known for her strict rule at the precinct, she'd slowly began to warm up to the brunette and Rick and Kate had been happy to invite her to the wedding and Gates had got even better since learning about the baby, even slightly protective of the younger woman. "We had so many plans," Kate commented.

"And you can still do them Kate," Lanie insisted, following the brunette into the master bedroom to watch Kate sit down and collect the wedding photo from the bedside table. "He's not dead Kate, he's alive and he's in hospital, he's just had a knock on the head and it'll get better before you know it," the ME declared, sitting down beside her friend before looking down at the wedding photo. "He may have made a stupid comment but he didn't know. To him it's 2012, he's just had the biggest fight of his life with the woman he loves and his partnership is over," Lanie told her as Kate looked across at the ME. "He's woken up, thinking he's been in an accident after his daughter's graduation to find the love of his life heavily pregnant and his wife, of course he's going to think something's wrong."

"He thought I was joking about the baby. He thought it was a sick joke," Kate stated.

"Kate, he's two years behind you. He thinks you two are over, he never got Maddox knocking you off the roof, he never got you turning up in the rain and telling him you've chosen him. Right now he doesn't know that you love him Kate, he thinks you're a liar and that you don't care about him" Lanie declared as the brunette sighed, her fingers running across her bump as she smiled weakly. "You'll get him back."

"Will I?" Kate asked quietly, shutting her eyes as she remained silent.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

"Lanie, Lanie," Alexis declared, almost shouting as the woman groaned and opened her eyes, moaning as she sat up on the couch. She'd fallen asleep! She hadn't meant to fall asleep when she was supposed to be looking after Kate, a clearly distressed and heavily pregnant Kate! "Is Kate okay?" the student asked as she stared at the older woman for a moment, concern covering her face before Lanie nodded and smiled.

"She's had some food around an hour ago but not much, read a kids book for a while and then went to sleep in her room," the ME explained quickly, knowing they were all worried about how the detective was taking everything, as Alexis nodded and turned to look at her grandmother who quickly moved into the office, disappearing from sight for a moment before reappearing moments later.

"Are you sure she went to sleep in there? She's not in there Lanie," Martha declared, watching as Lanie and Alexis both quickly stood up, neither of them knowing what to say as Lanie quickly moved towards the door and groaned.

"Her jacket's gone and so have the shoes she was wearing earlier," Lanie stated as Martha groaned. Where the hell had she gone now? "I've only been asleep half an hour," she declared, annoyed that she hadn't heard Kate leave or even noticed that she was gone.

"She's probably gone for a walk, she does that sometimes when she's stressed," Alexis commented as Martha nodded slowly.

"Give her half an hour and if she's not back then we'll call her and see where she is but she's an adult and she knows how to look after herself," Martha declared, watching as the two other woman sat down and breathed out.

"Kate's probably gone to clear her head, she'll be back soon," Alexis whispered, trying to calm herself down while she grabbed her cell phone from her pocket and sent a quick text to the detective, hoping she'd reply and calm her nerves.

XOOXOXOXXOXO

Staring down at the text message Alexis had sent her moments ago, Kate sighed as she sent back a quick reply, explaining that she was okay and had just gone to clear her head and would be home soon before she buried the cell phone into her pocket. She knew that Martha, Alexis and Lanie were probably stressing about where she was, especially seeing that she'd snuck out of the apartment when Lanie was sleeping on the couch in order to try and deal with everything herself. She needed to try and sort everything out; she needed to sort it out. Castle had taught her that she needed to stop running away from her problems, she could go away and calm herself down for a moment but she needed to deal with it as well. Approaching the door in silence, Kate gently knocked on it and waited for an answer from the occupant, smiling to herself when the man responded to the noise, finally giving her the permission to enter the room.

"Kate?" Rick asked in shock as she stepped into the room and looked across at him, one hand resting on her bump as he slowly sat up in the small hospital bed.

"Can we talk please?" she questioned.

**And this is where I'm leaving it because everyone knows I love my cliff-hangers and also I have to do more revision tonight. However tomorrow on New Year's wonderful Eve** **you'll get another chapter and it'll be the big discussion between our favourite couple and Castle will be returning to the loft. This isn't my favourite chapter but we needed it to have it in order to get Kate and Rick where we needed them to be for their talk and well, hopefully you enjoy it. **

**Please review, I love hearing from you and I'll be back! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Happy New Years Eve! **

"_Can we talk please?" she questioned. _

"Yes," Rick said quickly before falling silent for a moment. "Come in, sit down," he smiled, watching as she nervously walked into the room and sat herself in the chair beside the bed, her hands resting on her abdomen as they fell silent for a moment. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier, I just…" he began before shutting up when she stared to shake her head. "We're married then," Rick commented, looking at his wedding ring again for a brief second before looking across her hand to see the wedding and engagement ring that decorated her ring finger perfectly. "Seven and a half months," he declared as she nodded, her hand continuing to run across the bump as she looked at him before grabbing her purse and removing the wallet from it, lifting out the ultrasound picture from inside it before passing it to him. "Wow," he whispered.

"Yeah, that's our hobbit" she smiled proudly, staring down at the image from her seat as Rick ran his fingers across the black and white picture scan before the writer glanced across at her in confusion. "You called the baby that, you hated everyone saying bump so you spent an hour coming up with names and well Alexis was rereading the books at the loft because the Hobbit films had come out and you decided hobbit worked," she blurted out before biting into her lip, her smile growing as they both laughed for a second. "They're small and the baby was small and well you're Richard Castle, I would have been surprised if it hadn't been literature related," she stated as Rick glanced down at the image of their baby before smiling.

"Are you both okay?" he asked, his voice small and quiet as she nodded slowly.

"The baby's absolutely perfect Rick, you don't have anything to worry about," she promised as Rick nodded slowly and looked at the picture before passing it back to the brunette who thanked him and returned the image back to where she'd been keeping it safely. "Did they say when they were going to discharge you?" she asked quietly, suddenly realising that she didn't know what to tell him. He was missing two years, how did she tell him all that information? How did she remember all the things that had happened over two years? He was Richard Castle but he wasn't yet the Richard Castle she'd married and that scared her. They'd changed over the past two years, they'd developed and learnt new things and now half of their partnership was missing and it scared her!

"Tomorrow, I come home tomorrow," he said quietly as she nodded slowly, the two of them falling apart. "Kate I'm so confused," he admitted, ending the moments silence as she looked at him for a moment. "The last thing I remember is our partnership ending forever," he said simply as she slowly nodded, desperate not to have to go back to the whole thing. "Kate, how did we go from there to here?" he asked.

"I…" she began before looking down. It was over, Maddox was gone! She was safe now! "Javi and I went after Maddox, he knocked Javier out and I fought with him on the roof of the building and well, he knocked me off the edge and I was hanging there," she declared as she looked across at him. "I almost fell, I almost lost my grip and I almost died two years ago but I heard your voice and I clung on and Ryan saved me. You weren't there but you kept me fighting until Ryan could save me," she stated, smiling weakly for a moment as Rick reached across and took hold of her hand. "And well there was some issues with work that only lasted two weeks and then I went and sat in the rain at our swings, that's very important for the whole background information part," she smiled as Rick nodded slowly, taking in everything she was telling him. "And then I came to you," she whispered.

"And?" he asked quickly, a smile covering her face as she stared down at the hand he was clinging onto.

"We kissed, made out against your door and well…" she began before blushing, annoyed that she was embarrassed about talking about sex with her husband. "We made love Castle," she whispered as he groaned. "What?" she asked quickly, her frustration obvious as she glared at him.

"We've had sex, obviously a lot in the last two years and we've created a baby and yet I have no idea what you're like in bed or what your tattoo looks like or what you really look like naked and what it feels like waking up with you in the morning," he blurted out, clearly upset about everything as she bit into her lip, terrified about the whole situation. "We're married, you're pregnant and I can't even remember what life with you is like. All I can remember is being angry at you and giving up on our relationship completely and now I'm in a long term relationship with the woman my brain is telling me it's over with," he declared before flinging himself back against the cushions in anger.

"Castle, you're going to remember everything," she insisted, leaning down to kiss his knuckles before moving away when she felt him tense. "Castle," she whispered, confused at why he seemed so nervous.

"Sorry, the Kate in my head isn't really affectionate yet in my mind," he said quietly as she shut her eyes and nodded slowly. "I can get used to it really quickly though," he blurted out as she shook her head and stood up before walking towards the window. "Kate."

"I need my Castle back," she blurted out, turning to face him as he watched her. "I'm being selfish right now and I love you so much Castle," she stated, watching the shock that covered his face as she groaned in frustration. "And that's your first time of hearing it Rick," she whispered as Rick nodded slowly, still taking in the fact that Katherine Beckett had just told him that she loved him. "I don't know what to do Castle. I need my husband," she declared as he nodded and watched her slowly move towards him and sit down in the chair again. "I'm having a baby and my husband, the man I've spent nearly every day of the last two years of my life with, has just disappeared and yet I'm staring at him and knowing that he knows nothing about our relationship or our marriage or anything to do with my pregnancy," she said quietly as he grabbed her hand, shocking her slightly as he squeezed it.

"Tell me then, tell me everything and I won't give up on trying to remember Kate and even if I don't remember I'm not going to leave you because I love you," he declared as she bit into her lip, clearly about to cry as he smiled. "Hormones?" he asked as she nodded and laughed, brushing the tears away from her face before a large smile covered her face. "Kate?" he questioned before falling silent when she grabbed his hand and pressed it to her stomach, joining hers as they both smiled at the feeling. "There's really a baby in there."

"Castle that's our baby in there," she said quietly as she stared down at his hand which she was holding to her bump.

"Our baby," he repeated, slowly getting used to the idea of it as he kept his hand on her baby bump. This baby, this was their baby.

XOOXOXOXOXXOX

"Oh wow this place really hasn't changed," Rick commented as he stepped into the loft and smiled at the recognisable surroundings. He could see the painting that used to be in Kate's apartment in the distance and there were more photos around the rooms but it was still the loft of their past and his present. "Is Kate still in bed do you think?" the writer questioned, turning to look at his mother and daughter who laughed and nodded slowly. They'd gone to the hospital to collect him, leaving the detective sleeping in the master bedroom and they weren't surprised that she wasn't awake yet. Katherine Castle was maternity leave and she'd threatened earlier in the week that she was going to lie in every day until she had her baby in her arms. Moving into the living room, Rick smiled as he slowly approached the shelves and stared at the photos and ornaments that covered the shelves that had been put up at some past in the last two years. There were Kate's elephants and some candles that he guessed also belonged to the brunette as well as a collection of photographs he'd never seen before.

"Richard," Martha called over, stopping him from looking properly at the images as he turned to look at her. "Would you like some breakfast darling?" the redhead questioned, the writer shaking as he began to move to look at the photographs again. "Darling you need to eat, I won't even make it. Alexis will make you something," his mother announced as he groaned and nodded, knowing that they wouldn't leave him alone until he agreed. "So Kate came to visit you last night?" the redhead asked, approaching her son as Rick moved to sit down on the couch, giving up on being able to look at the photos with his mother hovering around him.

"She wanted to talk about everything and I got to feel hobbit kick," he admitted as Martha nodded slowly. "She gave me some information about how we went from hating each other to being in a relationship. I needed that," he explained, looking across at his mother before smiling at the sight of the office door opening and Kate stepping out of the room in a knee length black nightie, her hand running across the bump as she yawned. "Good morning detective," he called over as she turned and smiled at him before walking towards the kitchen and getting a glass of water and taking a sip before approaching a chair and sitting down.

"When did you get home?" Kate asked quietly.

"Only five minutes ago," Rick admitted as she nodded and took another sip of the drink before relaxing back. "Did you sleep alright? Hobbit let you sleep okay?" he asked as she smiled at his concern and nodded, not knowing what else to say to him when it came to building up a conversation. She couldn't discuss the latest cases they'd had at the precinct because he wouldn't remember any of the details!

"We slept fine thanks Rick," she said quietly, turning when she heard footsteps approaching her before she turned around to see Alexis bringing a bowl over to her. "You are amazing," the brunette smiled as Alexis shrugged and passed the breakfast to her.

"Your usual yoghurt and fruit," the redhead stated before moving back towards the kitchen to finish her father's breakfast. "I'm meeting Paige today for a couple of hours, I need to be out in twenty minutes," Alexis explained as Kate looked across at her family who nodded and smiled, the young redhead quickly bringing the toast over to her father and passing it to him.

"Thanks pumpkin," Rick smiled before taking the plate from her, the redhead quickly disappearing upstairs to get ready for her day out with her friends.

"I've actually got meetings today with the school," Martha admitted as Kate nodded, remembering the redhead mentioning it the last time she'd come to visit. "If you two don't need me," the redhead began as Rick groaned.

"Mother I've lost my memory, I'm not sick and injured," he moaned as Martha nodded and stood up, pressing a kiss into her son's hair before walking over and hugging Kate before saying goodbye and leaving the apartment. "Are people going to keep treating me like I'm sick Kate until my memory comes back?" he asked as Kate finished her breakfast and moved to sit beside him on the couch.

"We're just concerned about you Castle," she said quietly as he looked at her for a moment before smiling for a moment. "You've lost two years Rick and we're concerned about you but no, you're not sick and people won't carry on treating you like that," the brunette explained as she stood up and collected her bowl and his empty plate before moving into the kitchen. Hearing Alexis run down the stairs, Kate smiled as the student said goodbye to them before walking out of the apartment.

"Can I ask you something?" Rick asked quietly as Kate nodded and turned to look at him. "I want to look at some photos, I want to see our wedding," the writer explained as Kate moved out of the kitchen and approached a cupboard, leaning down as Rick watched her remove two photo albums before standing straight and kicking the door shut. "I could have got them if you'd told me where they were," he declared.

"Castle, I'm not treating you like you're sick, don't treat me like I'm sick," she warned as he nodded slowly. "I'm not sick Castle and I'm definitely not injured, I'm pregnant and I can still do a lot of things myself," she stated before sitting down beside him on the couch. "Actually maybe I should get dressed first," she commented before standing up again.

"I could help you if you want," he called out.

"Castle," she warned before disappearing into his office, his smile growing at her familiar tone.

XOOXOXOXOXOXOX

"These are the wedding photos," she admitted, holding the album close to her as he smiled at her, watching as she passed the album to him, watching as he rested it on his thighs and opened it to open on a picture of Kate in her dressing gown with a hairdresser playing with her hair while the brunette smiled at the camera. "Lanie took that one," Kate commented as Rick nodded and smiled, taking in how beautiful and happy she looked before he turned the page to see Alexis, Lanie and Jenny standing together in matching royal blue dresses, their hair curled perfectly with large smiles decorating their faces. "Bridesmaids," Kate said simply.

"Good colour choice, suits all three of them perfectly," he declared as the brunette nodded and smiled as he flicked through the pictures, finding one of him and his two best men, Ryan and Esposito in tuxedos. "I couldn't choose," he commented as Kate smiled, not surprised that Rick could guess that he wouldn't choose between Ryan and Esposito. "I want to see a picture of my bride," he declared as Kate laughed, watching him flick through the variety of photos of the same guests and the simple decorations. "Wait is that?" he asked in shock. "How did we manage to get that?" the writer questioned in shock as Kate stared at him for a moment.

"You're Richard Castle and well, you wouldn't leave the woman alone until she agreed," she smiled as Rick laughed. "Anyway, the woman was a fan and again you're a bestselling crime writer, a library would be stupid not to let you have your wedding there," she smiled as he stared down at the room where Beckett had handcuffed him for the first time. "We only had a few guests for the service but the reception was bigger, stupidly bigger actually. Gina practically demanded that we have a big reception because I wanted the ceremony to be so private," she said quietly as Rick stared at the image of him at the front of the make shift alter with a large smile covering his face. "Dad said you were so nervous, you wouldn't stop pacing, you were terrified I would run away," she smiled.

"But you didn't," he commented as she shook her head and smiled up at him. Turning the page, Rick smiled at the first proper photo of Kate in the whole album. "You look…" he began before shaking his head while she laughed.

"You did the exact same thing back then," she declared, staring down at the image of herself before smiling at the white dress that flowed naturally over her figure while giving a slight hint of cleavage, her curled dark hair complemented perfectly by the white material. "You…" she began.

"I don't want to know what I did Kate," he snapped, hating himself almost immediately as Kate moved away from him.

"I thought that's what you wanted," she responded almost nervously as he shook his head.

"I want to remember, I want to remember what it was like to see you walking down that aisle Kate. I want to remember what it was like to put that ring on your finger and to hear you say I do and I want to remember how your dress felt under my hands when we kissed and how your lips felt when we kissed. Was it slow and gentle or fast and passionate? I just want to be able to remember our life Kate!" he declared in frustration before standing angrily. Standing quickly, Kate sighed as she moved towards the iPod, quickly finding a particular song and playing it before she turned to face the writer and smiled weakly at him.

"Shut your eyes Castle," Kate stated as he stared at her for a moment before sitting down and shutting his eyes.

"What are you doing?" he asked quietly as she laughed at his desperation for answers.

"This was playing in the background when we got married Rick," she said quietly as she moved towards him and slowly sat down beside him, her hand finding his as he squeezed it gently. "The library was almost silent although your mother was trying not to cry at the whole thing and Alexis was laughing whenever you repeated words. Nobody would have believed you'd gotten married twice before with how nervous you were," she declared, smiling at the memory as Rick laughed gently at the idea. "The man who performed the service had a really deep voice and you said later that it reminded you of a man your mom dated when you were a kid, George something," Kate stated as the writer nodded, her hand clinging onto his as he remained still. "I almost cried when I said I do," she admitted, her head shaking when his head turned to face her while his eyes remained firmly shut. "I couldn't say it for a moment, it was so embarrassing and Javi and Kevin took the piss about it for weeks but it was just so real and you literally looked like you were ready to chase after me when I ran off and then I just said it and you breathed the biggest sigh of relief," she laughed as Rick smiled, his fingers moving to lace with hers as she bit into her lip.

"Kate," Rick said quietly as she shut her eyes.

"The kiss was slow and gentle, but it was passionate as well. My arms were around your neck and your hands were on the small of my back, you don't touch my ass in public because you know I'll kill you," she explained as he laughed again, tears running down her cheeks as she listened to herself. It hurt him because he'd lost the memory but it hurt her because she was living it alone. They were years apart and she hated it. "I…" she began, the writer's eyes opening when he heard her sob. "Stupid bloody hormones," she hissed, using her usual excuse before her face burying into Rick's side and he wrapped his arms around her. It seemed like the most natural thing to do even if the Kate Beckett he knew hated displays of affection and was more distant than ever before. "Come back to me Rick, please come back to me."

**Reviews please because your response has already been so fantastic? I probably will update again tomorrow depending upon the reviews and everything like that, also depending on the time I get to write as I seriously need to revise. **

**Anything you want to see happen? Any ideas you think might have happened during their two year relationship? PM or write in your review and I'll see what I can do! **


	4. Chapter 4

"Dad what are you doing?" Alexis yawned as she slowly walked towards the kitchen, watching as her father continued to cook in the kitchen, a small smile covering his bruised face as he looked across at the redhead and smiled.

"Making breakfast for everyone as it's the only thing I can remember to do," he stated as Alexis bit into her lip, hating that she was going to be the one to remove the smile from his face. "What's wrong pumpkin?" he asked, noticing the nervous look that was covering her face. "Just tell me what I'm doing wrong now," he sighed, moving away from the kitchen as Alexis slowly moved over.

"Kate can't eat bacon, it makes her feel sick," the redhead said quietly as Rick nodded, staring down at the burning bacon as Alexis quickly walked over and removed the pan from the heat. "Kate loves bacon but hobbit hates it," Alexis declared, trying to fill her father in as Rick nodded slowly, his arms wrapping around his chest as he thought about everything. "Dad it's okay, you couldn't have known that. Kate's always loved bacon, it's just a recent thing," the student stated, trying desperately to make her father smile again like he had been before she'd disturbed him.

"I'm going to go back to bed pumpkin," Rick stated, moving towards the stairs before walking up to the guest bedroom, his fingers running through his hair as he tried to think about what to say. He couldn't even make Kate breakfast without fucking it up! Burying her face into her hands as she stood in the kitchen, Alexis sighed as she picked up the pan and immediately threw the bacon into the bin.

"Got distracted?" Kate's voice asked as the redhead turned to face the older woman who was standing in her dark nightie, concern covering her face as she ran her hands across the bump. "Was someone cooking bacon earlier?" the brunette immediately asked as Alexis nodded, looking up the stairs, Kate sighing as she nodded in understanding. "Have you got plans today?" Kate asked, moving towards the stairs as Alexis smiled.

"Going to see Paige again," Alexis admitted as Kate began to slowly walk up the stairs.

"Tell Paige I say hello," Kate stated before disappearing from Alexis' sight. Walking down the corridor towards the spare bedroom, Kate slowly found herself standing outside the room before knocking on the door, pushing it open after a few moments to see the bed empty. Where the hell was he? He couldn't have climbed out of the window or walked past her? "Castle?" she called out slowly before walking down the corridor, a small smile covering her face when she stopped outside the nursery to see Rick standing by the bookcase. "Good morning," the detective smiled, stepping into the room as Rick turned to face her before smiling weakly and turning away to look at the book collection. "What do you think?" she asked as he looked at her briefly, confusion covering his face as she laughed. "Of the room," she stated.

"It's perfect," Rick said simply as Kate smiled, her fingers running across the crib as she smiled. "Did we hire someone?" he questioned as Kate quickly shook her head in answer, pride covering her face as she looked around the room.

"We did everything ourselves," she said, beaming as Rick moved around the room in amazement. "I didn't want some stranger designing our baby's room and well, it was the best decision we ever made to do it without a designer or anyone to do the work for us," the detective explained as the writer watched her move towards the rocking chair before sitting down and watching him. "We spent a whole weekend painting it, Alexis helped as well," she smiled as Rick nodded and moved to rest against the chest of drawers. "You stepped in the paint pot because you were trying to get paint on me," Kate laughed as Rick shook his head in embarrassment. "Let me show you something," she said quietly, standing quickly before moving a large photo frame that had no image in it yet. Moving out of the way, Kate watched silently as Rick slowly walked towards the wall and stared at the words that were painted onto the white walls.

"RC hearts KC?" Rick smiled as she nodded, staring at the simple initials that were painted almost out of sight with a date written underneath. "I did that?" he whispered as she watched his fingers run across the letters, still taking them in. "I'm such a romantic," he shrugged as she rolled her eyes, his arm slowly moving to rest on the small of her back. "I am a romantic right? I do make an effort right?," he whispered as she smiled and stared up at him, their eyes locking briefly before she nodded slowly. "I told myself that if we ever got together I'd treat you like a queen every day because you deserve it more than anyone on this planet," he admitted as she laughed, a small blush covering her cheeks as he watched her, loving this jokey smiley side of Kate Beckett Castle woman that he had finally married after years of partnership.

"You still bring me my coffee Rick, every single day. Well not any more of course, you bring other things now but before hobbit you always brought me my coffee, usually in bed though, just after the alarm goes off. When I get a call for a case you always wake up, even if you're not coming because you know I'll be angry at everyone if I haven't had my coffee," she smiled, the writer laughing as she stared at him for a moment, his hand remaining on the small of her back as she slowly moved her fingers up to rest near the largest cut on his face. "You're the most romantic man I know Mr Castle," she said quietly as he nodded.

"I tried to make you breakfast today," he admitted as she smiled weakly. "I couldn't even make you breakfast Kate," he muttered.

"Castle, it is okay to be confused. I used to eat bacon but hobbit hates it, I'm sure our baby is going to end up being a vegetarian," she announced as he moved away from her and approached the cot, staring down at the patchwork blanket that had elephants on it. "You saw it in a shop while I was at the precinct, you said it reminded you of me and you couldn't stop yourself from buying it," she explained as he lifted it out of the cot and held it for a moment, his face burying into the material briefly before he moved away.

"It's the elephants," he said simply as she moved to sit down again, watching as he kept hold of the blanket tightly. "Whenever I see elephants I think of you," he whispered, his fingers brushing across one of the stitched elephants on the material as Kate continued to observe him, taking the sadness that was covering her face. "I wanted to make you breakfast, I wanted one thing to be normal. I wanted to do something special for you."

"Castle," Kate sighed as he looked at her.

"Kate what am I supposed to do? I can't write as I don't know where I ended my last novel, I don't even know if I'm writing Nikki Heat anymore. I can't go to the precinct because one, you're on maternity leave now so I don't have a reason to be there and two I don't know anything about our recent cases…" he began.

"Stop beating yourself up about this whole thing," Kate begged as she grabbed his hand. "Castle you could be dead and yet came out uninjured and with a bit of amnesia and that's going to go away," she stated as he watched her, not wanting to tell her that the doctor had said that his memory might never come back. She was waiting desperately for his memory return, for all the memories of their life together to just come back to him. "If they'd been going ten miles faster Castle when they hit you, you would be dead. Our baby wouldn't have a father, I wouldn't have my husband and I would be organising a funeral," she said quietly as he shut his eyes for a moment.

"But I'm not this baby's father and I'm not your husband, not in my own mind," he commented as she clung onto his hand, knowing how lost he felt. "I'm still the Richard Castle who's hopelessly in love with a woman who doesn't love me back, even though I know that you do now," he whispered as she stared at him for a moment, watching as he placed the blanket back into the cot before silently walking out of the room.

"Castle," she called out, walking out of the nursery before seeing the spare bedroom door shut as Rick disappeared from sight. "Rick," she declared, moving towards the door, her hand trying to open it before she rested her forehead against the wood. He'd locked her out; he was the one hiding this time!

XIOXOXOXOOXOXOXOOX

"Richard Castle you open this door right now or I will sit here all night and recite songs from every musical on Broadway," Martha warned, a small smile covering her face when she heard him unlock the door before she pushed it open and stepped into the spare room that Rick had practically moved in. He'd made the decision to sleep in the spare room because it would have been awkward to share a bed with Kate and he knew that the spare bed wasn't as comfortable as the master bedroom so he'd told Kate to stay there. "You're worrying Kate," the redhead stated as her son moved and sat down on the bed. "She's your wife Richard; you need to let her in and talk to her."

"I just…" he began before shrugging and falling silent.

"You're doing a Beckett Richard," Martha said simply as he looked up at her. "You're hiding from your problems, not talking about it. That's what we call it now, doing a Beckett," the redhead smirked as Rick laughed at the idea of it.

"She doesn't hide anymore?" Rick questioned as the redhead shrugged and smiled at him.

"Of course she still hides, everyone hides Richard but she's learnt to share her problems. She's learnt to let you in and you need to learn to let her in too. She's currently sat downstairs waiting for you to reappear because she knows your upset and every time she nears a noise she looks up. She's on her maternity leave Richard, she's preparing for the most exciting and extraordinary part of her life and her husband, the man she relies on is hiding in his room like a child," she said simply as Rick looked down at the wedding ring again.

"I'm not her husband though, I'm still just Castle, I'm not there yet," the writer insisted as Martha sighed.

"Darling inside you're still her husband, you love her Richard Castle and it shouldn't matter whether you're the husband she's married too now or just the partner you believe you are, you still love her and that's all that matters," Martha insisted as Rick nodded slowly, watching as his mother slowly stood up and looked at him. "Now get dressed and take her out for some lunch or a walk, just go and spend some time with her because Richard she needs you and you need her," she ordered before leaving the room, Rick's eyes rolling before he laughed and moved to change. Walking down the stairs a few moments later, Rick suddenly stopped when he looked across to see Kate standing nervously by the couch, her eyes locked on him before she slowly moved towards him.

"Don't you dare say you're not my husband and don't you ever say that you're not this baby's father again Castle!" she warned angrily as he nodded slowly, finding her hand as she stared up at him. "You're still the man I married and made this baby with, whether you're two years behind or two years ahead and just because you don't remember doesn't mean you don't love us and that's all that matters in the end, that you still love us," she insisted, tears running down her cheeks as he slowly moved his hand and cupped her face, making her stare up at him as he smiled.

"Hormones?" he asked quietly as she nodded, allowing him to wipe the tears away with his thumb. "You deserve all the support in the world right now, you deserve to be in a stress free zone and yet here I am, unable to even make you breakfast."

"Will you stop worrying about the stupid breakfast Castle? I don't care about the breakfast, I care about you and how you're coping with this whole thing," she hissed before shaking her head at him as he smiled weakly.

"Let me take you to lunch Kate" he said quietly as she nodded and stepped away, grabbing her jacket as he moved to collect his own. "We can go for Chinese, get something vegetarian to treat Hobbit if you really want," he suggested as Kate smiled and nodded, opening the door before they silently walked out of the apartment. "And I do love this baby Kate," he whispered, his hand moving to rest on her abdomen when they stepped into the elevator together, her smile growing as she relaxed into his side, his eyes shutting briefly as they remained silent for a moment. They might be in the most dysfunctional relationship he'd ever seen or heard of but they were in a relationship and that meant more than anything to him when all he remembered was giving up hope!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"I like fruit for breakfast," Kate said quietly after they'd sat in silence in the busy restaurant for five minutes. "Sometimes with yoghurt to give it a bit of variety but this baby is a fruit baby," she smiled as Rick nodded slowly, taking it all in before the waiter walked over with their meals and smiled at them before disappearing to serve another table. "Usually I have a glass of water with it because fruit juice is just too much fruit for my brain to cope with," Kate laughed as the writer watched her begin to play with her noodles.

"Thank you Kate," Rick said quietly, glad for the information as she took a bite of her meal and moaned, a smile covering his face as he looked across at her.

"You've written two more books since Frozen Heat was released," she stated as his eyebrows rose, amazed that she remembered everything he'd complained about earlier in the day. "Both of them have been best sellers and in the latest book you left it on a kind of cliff hanger with Rook asking Nikki about possibly marrying him but she doesn't give him a clear answer and so many people have been writing to you or coming up to us in a street desperate to know whether she's going to marry him," she declared as he nodded slowly, amused at the ending himself.

"I am such a tease," he laughed as she rolled her eyes and nodded. "Do you know whether I'm going to let Heat marry Rook?" he asked quietly as she shook her head.

"That's the biggest mystery in our relationship at the moment, you won't tell me. I actually went through your laptop one evening to see whether I could find it and you'd saved a file under the title of the newest book so I opened it and instead of finding a story I found the words, ha Kate you lose typed on the screen," she admitted as Rick laughed, taking in the large smile that was decorating her face as she shook her head. "I was so angry at you for that."

"So no one knows whether Rook and Nikki are going to get married then," he sighed as she nodded slowly. "I better remember, I want to know too now," he declared, almost whining as she rolled her eyes at him before shaking her head. "Do I still dedicate the books to you?" he asked as she smiled and nodded.

"The first dedication was to KB will you become KC?" she smiled as he laughed. "I hadn't seen it yet and we were at the launch and you asked me to read the dedication so I picked up a copy of the book and saw it," she explained as he nodded, listening to the story in amazement. "So I took the pen you were holding, wrote in the book, closed it and then passed it to you again," Kate admitted as he nodded. "The whole room was silent by then, they all knew what it said and they were desperate to know the answer so you opened the book slowly, stared at it for a moment before lifting it into the air and shouting that I'd written yes, I was so embarrassed."

"A romantic, I'm definitely a romantic man," he declared, her eyes rolling again. "What was the second one?" he asked quickly, desperate to know what else had put that large smile on her face as she remained silent for a moment.

"To KC, here's to the next nine months and the future that follows," she recited as he smiled. "I was terrified when I found out I was pregnant, you were visiting Alexis and the smell of coffee was just making me feel sick so I took the test and found out I was pregnant. You came home, found me looking at baby photos of Alexis and you asked what was wrong and I just told you," she admitted as Rick nodded slowly, waiting to hear about his reaction. "And you were so excited, you just starting blurting out all of these amazing plans and I immediately stopped feeling nervous and instead I started to feel excited about it too because we're a partnership and I knew…" she began before she fell silent.

"You knew?" Rick asked as she smiled weakly.

"I knew you'd always be there," she said quietly as Rick reached across and found her hand, taking hold of it before squeezing it gently. "If they'd been going just a bit faster Rick," she whispered as he shook his head.

"But they didn't, I'm still here Kate. I'm not perfect but I'm still here Kate," he declared as she nodded slowly and smiled at him for a second. "I'm not surprised that I proposed and announced hobbit's existence via book," he admitted.

"Neither was I but it was perfect anyway," she smiled before taking another bite of her meal. "I think we needed to get out of the apartment today," she said quietly as he nodded and leant forward, a smile covering her face as she stared at him.

"If I'm honest, I like taking you out Kate and hearing people can you Mrs Castle is pretty awesome too," he added, beaming when she began to laugh hysterically. "I like seeing you laugh Kate, it's not something you used to do a lot of," he admitted as she blushed and stared at him for a moment. "It's kind of nice actually, seeing how free you act now to how you used to act when we first met," he whispered as his fingers laced with hers. "I kind of love this new side of you Kate."

"I kind of love it too," she admitted, knowing that she wouldn't be here at all if he hadn't knocked the walls down that she'd built firmly around her heart. "Thank you Rick," she said quietly as he watched her in confusion.

"For what?" he asked quietly as he stared down at their joined hands.

"For saving me, I don't tell you enough but thank you for giving me my life back Rick," she admitted, knowing that he deserved to know how grateful she was for him coming into her life. "Thank you for giving me something to live for."

**I'm not too keen of this chapter but this story isn't just about Rick learning, it's about Kate learning too so hopefully you enjoy it and I'll update soon, hopefully tomorrow depending again on the reviews. I love hearing from you and your comments really do make me want to write more, reviews really do help inspire people and they literally make writing so much better. **


	5. Chapter 5

"Going to see Paige again?" a voice asked quickly as Alexis stopped by the front door and turned to see Kate staring at her, her eyebrows raised as Alexis bit into her lip for a moment. "You, me, word, now," Kate stated as the redhead nodded and followed the older woman into the master bedroom before they both sat down on the bed together, the brunette looking across at the redhead who was silently sitting beside her. "Who is he then?" Kate asked as Alexis looked across at her in shock. "Alexis Castle, I'm a detective and you're a terrible liar," Kate stated as Alexis laughed and nodded before relaxing back against the headboard.

"His name is Aaron, he's twenty five and a really passionate history student and he's completely amazing Kate," Alexis said simply as Kate nodded, smiling at the young girl who was now playing with the sleeves of her jacket. "I met his parents when they came to visit and now he wants to meet you and Dad," she declared as Kate sighed, realising why the twenty year old had kept it secret from them. "We've been together three months and well, he's amazing but whenever I tried to tell Dad it seemed like the wrong time and now he can't remember the last two years. If I tell him I'm dating a twenty five year old he's going to freak Kate, he still thinks I'm eighteen," she panicked as Kate laughed and found the redhead's hand.

"Bring him round for dinner, I'll cook and I will talk to your dad in advance," Kate promised as Alexis stared at her in amazement before wrapping her arms around the older woman and smiling. "Don't lie to me next time though," Kate whispered as the redhead nodded and remained close to her, not knowing what to say as she smiled and moved away from Kate before climbing off it and straightening her outfit before laughing.

"Thank you Kate, thank you," Alexis said quickly before leaving the apartment, Kate's head shaking as she took in how quickly Alexis had left. She clearly liked this guy! Shutting her eyes as she fell back against the cushions in silence, Kate sighed as she slid her hand to her bump and felt her baby kick.

"Are you going to be like your sister hobbit?" she asked quietly, her smile growing as she continued to think about her baby, her baby with Richard Castle! "I don't care what you're like hobbit, I already know that you're going to be perfect and I can't wait to meet you," she stated, falling silent when she heard a knock at the door. "Alexis?" she called out before opening her eyes and watching as Rick slowly stepped into the room carrying a tray.

"Nope but I'm hopefully just as good as she is," he smiled as she bit into her lip and nodded; watching as he slowly walked over and sat down beside her. "Fruit and yoghurt with your glass of water detective," he smiled as she stared down at the tray in amazement before moving it to rest on her thighs. "I'll leave you to eat breakfast Kate," he said quietly before standing, her hand immediately reaching out to grab his.

"Stay, I actually need to talk to you," she declared as he nodded and moved to sit where Alexis had been sitting just moments ago. "Rick it's about Alexis," she stated, knowing that if she told him now he would have time to calm down before dinner and the boyfriend arrived. "Now you have to promise me that you'll remain calm and quiet until I finish talking and then you're allowed to comment and you also need to remember Castle that she's not eighteen anymore but instead she's a responsible adult who is extremely mature for her age," she listed as shock covered his face.

"She's not pregnant is she?" he asked, panic turning into relief when Kate immediately shook her head at his first idea. "Okay, hit me with it Kate, what's going on with Alexis?" he said quietly as Kate laughed gently and took a sip of her water. "Kate I'm stressing even more with this whole silence thing so hurry up," he commented as she apologised and looked at him briefly.

"Alexis is bringing her boyfriend to dinner tonight," Kate stated as Rick nodded slowly. "Her twenty five year old history student boyfriend," the brunette declared as Rick stared at her in shock before opening his mouth to speak, only stopping when Kate glared at him. He'd promised and he wasn't going to go against what he'd agreed too! "They're very serious about each other, she's met his parents and he wants to meet you so you're going to be nice to him and you're not going to make one age related comment until he's gone home," she warned as Rick frowned at her. "There's eight years between us Castle and we work. I think we're perfect actually at times," she declared as he groaned, hating sometimes that there was an age difference between him and Kate.

"But she's only eight… twenty, I mean twenty," he stated as Kate nodded slowly and found his hand. "I just…" he began.

"Rick, she's an adult now, you have no influence over her decisions but she loves you and wants you to be involved in her life so you appreciate that she's allowing you to meet him. I didn't let my dad meet any of my boyfriends until I'd dated them for at least six months and you've met every single one of hers," Kate declared as Rick nodded slowly. "Just give him a chance, no angry comments," she insisted as he nodded slowly. "Well I'm cooking tonight."

"I get to taste Kate Beckett's cooking," he exclaimed, the smile soon disappearing as he looked at her for a moment. "And I've been in a relationship with you for two years, I've tasted it probably a hundred times before," he whispered as she finished the fruit and put the tray down on the bedside table before relaxing against him. "So what will you make?" he asked.

"I don't know, I usually make pasta. You love my pasta," she commented before staring up at him with a small smile on her face.

"Pasta sounds perfect Kate and it's you cooking, anything would sound amazing if it's made by you," Rick said simply as he moved his arms around her and smiled when she rested against him and shut his eyes. "Who does most the cooking in this relationship or are you still queen of the take outs?" he asked as she laughed and shook her head.

"Take out once a week, not so much since we found out about the baby but I cook some nights when I'm home early and you cook most the time, you still make these stupid things that are disgusting," she said quietly as the writer smiled, his eyes shutting as she remained close to him. "You have this desperate need to put chocolate into every recipe and honestly, most of the time it's disgusting," she declared as he laughed. "At one point I was so desperate to stop you putting chocolate into everything we ate that I actually got a cheap safe and locked all the chocolate products in there and hid the keys away from you."

"No way," he laughed in shock as she nodded before they both fell silent, the writer looking at her for a moment as she bit into her lip nervously. Why was he looking at her like that? Did she look okay? "Pregnancy suits you detective," he said quietly as her eyebrows rose, his hand slowly moving across her bump as she lay back on the bed as he leant over her. "You're so beautiful," he whispered against her lips as she stared up at him for a moment, her fingers brushing across his cheek as he remained perfectly still, watching her in amazement as she bit into her lip. "When Meredith was pregnant, she either looked tired or she'd covered her face with so much make up she looked fake but you, you look radiant," he said quietly as she rolled her eyes at him. "You're a beautiful woman Kate Beckett and I'm lucky to have the honour to call you my wife," he said simply as she slowly began to lean up, her lips almost touching his as she smiled and slowly allowed her eyes to shut.

"Richard," Martha called out from outside the room causing both Kate and Rick to fall back onto the bed.

"That's it, I'm kicking her out," Rick declared as he sat up and smiled at the sight of Kate lying beside him with a large smile covering her face.

"Your mother does have this habit of interrupting intimate moments Rick," Kate commented as his eyebrows rose. "Our morning after, you ended up forcing me to hide in a closet dressed only in your shirt and holding a pillow to my body," she admitted before standing up and moving towards the wardrobe, her smile growing as she turned to see her watching him in amazement. "And then when you came to my apartment later that day to apologise and Ryan knocked on the door, you thought it was your mother stalking you," she laughed as Rick shook his head. "You better go and see what your mother wants," Kate said quietly as he groaned and climbed off the bed before walking towards her and resting his hand on her stomach as she stared at their reflections in the mirror.

"Beautiful," he said quietly into her ear as she continued to look at the mirror.

"That could be debated," she commented as he rolled his eyes and stared at them for a moment.

"No, you really are beautiful Kate," he insisted before stepping away, the brunette remaining perfectly still as he walked out of the room, her smile continuing to grow as she ran her hands across the large bump. He still thought she was beautiful.

XOXOXOXOOXOXXO

"Was dad okay when you told him?" Alexis asked quickly as she stepped into the kitchen to find the brunette busy cooking, a small smile covering the brunette's face as she turned to look at the nervous redhead. "Was he panicking? Was he angry?" she blurted out nervously as Kate laughed and shook her head before pouring the student a glass of orange juice before passing it to her.

"Your dad was fine, a bit nervous at the start but he was okay," Kate explained as Alexis nodded slowly. "And your grandmother demanded that he go out and buy some wine after he helped her move the furniture around her room because she felt like it wasn't giving her the right aura," Kate commented as Alexis laughed at her grandmother's crazy behaviour before shaking her head and moving to sit on the kitchen side, her smile growing as Kate continued to cook.

"He's looking forward to meeting you Kate. I apparently talk about you so much and he wants to meet the woman I'm clearly influenced by," Alexis smiled as Kate looked up at her for a moment. "And he can't wait to meet dad, it was amazing because he didn't know that I was Richard Castle's daughter when we first met, he hadn't even read his books," Alexis smiled.

"And now Alexis?" Kate asked quickly.

"He's read all of his books and the Heat series are his favourites," the redhead smiled as Kate rolled her eyes. "And don't worry, I made it perfectly clear that you weren't Nikki Heat," she added as the brunette smiled at the idea before hearing the door open and turning to see Rick standing by the door. "Welcome home dad, I hear you've been running around for grams," Alexis commented as he groaned and rested the bottle of wine onto the kitchen side before removing his jacket and smiling.

"I know she's my mother and everything but she is one strange woman and could do with professional help," Rick smiled as Kate and Alexis laughed before the brunette quickly continued cooking again. "So when is this twenty five year old daughter stealing man getting here?" Rick asked as Kate glared across at him.

"Richard Castle," Kate warned.

"Dad you better behave yourself tonight or I will never talk to you again," Alexis threatened as Rick shrugged before looking across at Kate. "And he'll be here in an hour so I'm going to go and change," the redhead explained before jumping off the side and pressing a kiss to Kate's cheek. "Thank you for this Kate," she whispered.

"Anything for my favourite student," Kate smiled as Alexis laughed and pressed a kiss to her father's cheek before disappearing up the stairs. "She clearly likes this guy a lot," the brunette commented as Rick nodded and sat down at the breakfast bar, watching as Kate began to start on what looked like another course.

"How much food are you making?" Rick questioned as Kate shrugged. "You are making a lot of food for four people Kate, mother isn't joining us as she's at another opening with the school," the writer commented, watching as Kate began to count the number of meals she'd prepared.

"I think I made a few too many," she said quietly as Rick nodded and laughed. "Well that'll give us enough food for the rest of the week to eat and saves us a job for later," she stated, moving to place some of the prepared food into the fridge as Rick continued to watch her.

"You're extremely domestic aren't you?" he asked as she laughed and nodded. "I don't think I ever dreamt of you being overly domestic," the writer commented as she shrugged.

"I think the baby doesn't help. My mom loved to cook for us, she hated it when my dad bought us take out and I want my baby to have that too. I want us to cook for our baby, I want us to have the time that I used to have with my mom and dad around a table," she admitted as Rick nodded slowly. "Being with you has made me love meal times again and the whole family thing and I really want to do that with our little one," she stated before sighing. "And I'm going to change because I look a mess and I could do with a shower right now," she commented, moving away from the kitchen but stopping when Rick quickly stood up.

"I think you look amazing Kate," he laughed as she rolled her eyes, her eyes quickly moving to look down at the sauce covered clothes she was wearing before laughing and disappearing into the master bedroom to change, his eyes not leaving her until she vanished from sight.

XOOXOXOXXOXOXO

"Hi, you must be Aaron come in," Kate smiled as she opened the door and stared at the dark haired man who smiled and nervously entered the apartment. "Alexis is just finishing some work, she'll be down in a minute," Kate explained as she shut the door and watched the man for a moment, taking in how nervous he looked as he stood in complete silence, staring up at the stairs as Alexis ran down and smiled. "Do any kissing now before your father appears," Kate stated as Alexis laughed and gently pressed her lips to Aaron's as his arms wrapped around her while Kate glanced across to see Rick walking down the stairs slowly while playing with his shirt.

"Dad, this is Aaron," Alexis smiled as she led the man towards her father who smiled weakly at the man who was clinging onto his daughter's hand. "Aaron, this is my father Richard Castle and his wife Kate and the bump is Hobbit," the redhead smiled as the dark haired man looked from the writer to the heavily pregnant detective who smiled at him weakly.

"So you're studying history," Rick commented as Aaron nodded, Alexis laughing as she cuddled into his side.

"You can talk Aaron," Alexis whispered as he laughed and smiled down at her. "Aaron's currently studying the history of crime," the redhead admitted, hoping desperately to find a topic that would at least start a short conversation between him, the detective and the crime writer.

"Now that sounds cool," Rick announced as Kate laughed, watching as Rick moved towards the living room. "What do you learn about in that?" he questioned as Aaron smiled and sat down on one of the couches, suddenly talking in great detail about the course and what he'd learnt throughout the topic.

"I think your father has a new best friend," Kate admitted as Alexis nodded, watching the two men in amazement. "That's the best thing Alexis, when your boyfriend and your father get on. It makes life so much easier," the brunette explained as the young woman nodded in agreement. "Help me carry this to the table."

"Do you like him Kate?" Alexis asked quietly as she carried some of the food to the table with the brunette.

"He only just got here Alexis and I haven't had the chance to talk to him yet," Kate sighed as the redhead shrugged, not knowing what to say at Kate's comment. "But he seems nice so stop worrying about it and relax; your father already likes him just for studying some area of crime so he fits into this family perfectly fine and if Rick likes him then you're fine," Kate declared before looking across at the two men. "Dinners ready boys," the brunette stated, laughing when both Aaron and Rick stopped talking and approached the table, Rick moving towards Kate before he rested his hand on the small of her back as she smiled at the touch.

"I like this one Kate, I actually like this one," he whispered to her as she rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm not surprised Castle, not surprised at all."

XOXOOXOXXOXOXO

"Alexis clearly likes him a lot," Kate admitted as she slowly walked into the kitchen, dressed in a blue version of her nightie as Rick smiled and turned away from the washing up to see her untying her hair, allowing the brown locks to flow down her shoulders. Dinner had gone well with discussion quickly improving and Alexis often cuddling into her boyfriend's side while Kate had clung onto Rick's hand underneath the table while he continued to talk with the younger man. "And he likes her too," she added as Rick nodded, knowing that Aaron clearly cared for his daughter, especially with how proudly he'd sounded when he discussed Alexis and how dedicated she was to her subject. "Are you okay finishing these? I'm exhausted," Kate said quietly as Rick nodded and watched as she yawned and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Goodnight Kate," Rick said quietly as she walked towards him and smiled. "Alexis is growing up and I hate it," he admitted as she laughed and nodded. "This one isn't allowed to grow up as fast as she did," he said quietly as he hand moved to her abdomen. "This one has to stay a child forever or at least has to stay in the loft forever," he whispered as Kate bit into her lip when he stared at her, keeping his hand on her stomach as she bit into her lip. "I don't want another baby to leave me."

"Don't worry Castle, I'll never leave you," Kate smiled as Rick nodded slowly, watching as she remained still in front of him. "I should go to bed now," she said quietly as he nodded again, neither of them moving away from each other as they fell silent, neither of them planning on going anywhere. Moving closer to her slowly, Rick smiled as his hand slid to rest on the small of her back again as she smiled at him, enjoying being close to him again as he stared at her before glancing down at her lips. "Kiss me," Kate said quietly as he began to lean forward, desperate to feel her lips against his again.

"Hello darlings," Martha interrupted, opening the apartment door as Kate and Rick stepped away from each other.

"I'm kicking her out in the morning," Rick muttered to himself as Kate smiled across at him before slowly walking towards the office, disappearing from sight as Martha glanced across at her son in confusion.

"Did I interrupt something?"

**I decided to go with a different sort of chapter today! I didn't want too negative a chapter this time and I think a chapter of them trying to act normal was needed. Also I wanted to show how awkward the relationship between Kate and Rick is at the moment, so hopefully you enjoy the chapter. **

**You have been amazing with your reviews so please continue. If you didn't like this chapter tell me and I'll stay around the angsty kind of chapters but if you liked it let me know and I'll try and write a few more upbeat ones. **


	6. Chapter 6

"Are we almost there yet Rick?" Kate yawned as she opened her eyes and looked across at the writer who was currently driving the car in silence, his head nodding as she sat up and straight and her hand across her bump before smiling. "Hobbit keeps kicking me, the moment I begin to fall asleep he starts kicking," the brunette stated as Rick laughed, his hand moving to rest on her abdomen while Kate gently moved her own hand to rest on top of his. "This baby is just as annoying as you are when I try to fall asleep. Hobbit always wants to wake me up just as I'm starting to fall asleep like you do," she admitted while Rick smiled, not wanting to move his hand away from her hold as she slowly removed her hold of it, allowing him to park the car outside the Hampton house before they both climbed out of the car. "This was a brilliant idea Richard," Kate admitted as she removed her jacket and glanced across at her husband who was now lifting the cases out of the car. "It's so warm here," the brunette commented as she collected the keys from him and unlocked the apartment, her smile continuing to grow as she stepped into the familiar building and breathed out.

"Why don't you go and cool down on the beach?" he suggested as she smiled, turning to face him to see a large grin decorating his face. "You can take the master bedroom Kate," he stated as she nodded slowly and collected her case before slowly disappearing down the corridor as Rick watched her in amazement. She'd been more nervous around him since their almost kiss and she'd been more careful in the way she was acting. "See you on the beach in ten minutes?" he called out, not getting a reply as he slowly approached one of the spare bedrooms. Changing quickly into his beach wear, Rick sighed as he walked out of the room and moved passed the master bedroom, shocked at the sound of Kate sobbing from within the room. Knocking on the door gently, Rick didn't wait for an answer as he stepped into the room to see Kate sitting at the end of the bed with her bikini lying on the bed. "Kate?" he asked quietly, watching as she violently brushed the tears away from her face before turning to face him. "Hey what's wrong?" he questioned.

"You remember me when I was think and toned and normal, you don't remember what I look like in a bikini or naked and I don't want you to see me in a bikini for your first time fat," she stated as Rick sighed and sat down on the bed beside her, his hands cupping her face as silent tears ran down her face. "I still want you to think I'm beautiful Rick," she whispered as Rick smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead before resting his forehead against hers and smiling as she remained still.

"You're the most beautiful woman Kate, you're real and I love that about you," he said quietly as she continued to remain silent. "You're not trying to be someone you're not Katie; you're a beautiful woman whose body is doing something miraculous. Your body is keeping our baby safe until hobbit's ready to join us," the writer explained, running his hand across the bump as she looked down in silence, not knowing what to say. "I love you and it doesn't matter whether the first memory I have of you in a bikini is heavily pregnant, you're as beautiful to me now as you were the first time we met," Rick said quietly before taking a step away, her hand grabbing his as he stopped and looked at her for a moment. "Don't you ever doubt how beautiful you are," he whispered comfortingly, pressing a kiss to her forehead again before moving away and approaching the door. "I'll see you outside in a minute, wear whatever you're comfortable in," he stated, quietly walking out of the room as Kate bit into her lip and glanced across at her reflection in the mirror. Changing quickly into the bikini, Kate sighed as she reached across and opened her suitcase, lifting out the shirt she'd packed from home, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip as she pulled his shirt on over her body and walked out of the room to find Rick waiting in the corridor. "Is that my shirt?" he asked.

"Yeah but I love it," Kate said quietly as he led her out of the apartment, her smile growing as they walked out of the building towards the beach, his arm pulling her into his side before he cuddled her close to him, her smile growing as they stepped onto the beach, the brunette smiling as she kicked off her shoes and felt the sand between her toes. "God I've missed this," the detective admitted as she sat down on the sand and looked up at her husband.

"Do we come here often?" Rick asked quietly as he joined her, relaxing back against the warm sand as she smiled and nodded. "What happened the first time we were here Kate?" he questioned as she relaxed and remained close as he continued to watch her nervously, concerned about how emotional she'd been earlier about something that he wouldn't have seen as a Kate Beckett issue before now. "Come on tell me, tell me all about the first time I saw Kate Beckett in a bikini."

"Well, it wasn't so much a bikini, it was more like skinny dipping," she commented as shock covered his face. "We were about to go into the private pool, you were watching and I slowly removed the robe I was wearing and well, I was only wearing my sandals," she said quietly, her voice teasing him as he groaned and shut his eyes, trying to imagine it as Kate laughed. "And we were literally about to kiss and this man staggers in and falls into the pool…" she declared, clearly not finished as Rick opened his eyes and waited for the answer. "Dead," she stated.

"No way, there was a dead man in my pool," he almost squealed as Kate laughed and stared at him for a moment. "There was really a dead man in my pool," he declared, his smile quickly turning into a frown. "And the dead man interrupted us worse than my mother's ever done," he stated as Kate laughed and sat up, her hand resting on his shoulder as he turned to look at her in silence. "We have cleaned the pool a lot right?"

"We've cleaned it so many times it's practically a new pool," she promised as he nodded slowly and looked down for a moment, noticing the scar on her chest while she looked down to see him staring in silence. "It doesn't hurt, I've stopped having nightmares about it now," she said quietly as he continued to look at it in amazement. It looked so small! So small for something that had caused them so much pain to them both! "You can touch it," she whispered, watching as his fingers brushed against the tiny scar, her eyes shutting as he continued to run his fingers against it.

"Maddox?" he asked quietly as he looked up at her.

"Dead, he was involved in an explosion and well, you saved me but he got caught in it," she admitted as he remained silent for a moment, not knowing what to say.

"Kate," he said quietly as she nodded slowly, knowing what he was going to ask. "Is it over?" he questioned as she bit into her lip and nodded. "What's wrong? I thought that would be a happy thing," he commented as she grabbed his hand and clung onto it before moving the t-shirt he was wearing to reveal the scar on his stomach. "I was wondering what that was from actually," he declared as she shut her eyes for a second while he watched her for a second. "Kate what happened?" he asked, concerned about her obvious distress that was on her face.

"We were looking into it again, we were trying to be quiet and we had evidence Castle. We had proper evidence for the first time," she stated as Rick nodded slowly. "Kevin, Javi and I were looking over it and you went to buy us lunch and the next thing I knew, he was shouting down at the phone at us, telling us that he had you," she declared as he nodded slowly. "Someone had blackmailed him and he thought it was me and he was trying to get back at me, he was so angry and we found where you were, Gates was with us and everything," she said quietly.

"Kate," he whispered as she locked her eyes with him.

"There was a fight and he shot you and Javier shot him, you were bleeding so badly and I was trying to stay calm but it couldn't so Gates walked over and god, I don't think you'd have been alive if she hadn't been there," she admitted as shock covered his face. "Ryan and Esposito were busy trying to put Maddox into cuffs and call the ambulance and she was literally shouting at you to stay awake and talk to me and god you were so much calmer than I was at all," she declared as he nodded slowly. "Twice Rick, I've nearly lost you twice in the last two years," she whispered quietly.

"And yet here we are," he declared, a laugh leaving her lips as he quickly removed his batman t-shirt, throwing it onto the sand as she smiled and ran her fingers across his scar slowly like he had done earlier with hers. "Want to go and play in the water for a while?" he asked.

"That sounds good actually," she declared, standing up as he laughed and followed her into the water.

"Are you going to remove your shirt at all Kate?" he questioned as she looked down, hesitating for a moment before unbuttoning it and throwing it towards his. "You have nothing to be concerned about, you look beautiful and you're bringing life into the world. That's the most miraculous thing a person could ever do," he smiled, stepping into the water with her before gently running his hand across the naked bump. "You're just making our family bigger," he declared, his words making all her worries disappear as she relaxed, laughing when he splashed the water at her before running off.

"Bastard," she muttered under her breath.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Nodding to himself as he stared down at everything he'd prepared after a long phone call to his daughter, Rick smiled as he moved down the corridor towards the master bedroom and knocking on the door. Kate had gone for a nap after their afternoon on the beach and he'd spent that time trying to do something special for her! She was heavily pregnant with their baby and was trying to deal with a husband with two years' worth of amnesia who was bringing up all these emotions that they clearly must have dealt with during their relationship. Opening the door slowly, Rick smiled as he looked into the room to see Kate lying in the middle of the bed, the blanket thrown over her while her dark curls decorated the pale cushions, her hand resting on her bump as Rick smiled to himself.

"Kate," Rick said quietly as he moved towards the bed, watching as she yawned and slowly opened her eyes. "Good evening sleepy head," he smiled as she laughed and slowly sat up, yawning again as Rick smiled at her, taking in how beautiful she'd looked asleep. He really was married to the most beautiful woman on the planet! "I have dinner ready," he admitted as she smiled and climbed off the bed before groaning. "You okay?" he asked.

"Still waking up," she admitted as she followed the writer out of the room and gasped at the sight as she stepped outside. "Oh Rick," she said quietly as she took in the candle lit table in front of her that was laid perfectly. Reaching the table before her, Rick quickly pulled out her chair; Kate's head shaking as she laughed and sat down before smiling as classical music began to play while Rick disappeared into the house again. She couldn't believe he'd done all of this for her! Hearing his footsteps again, Kate watched as he walked out with two plates full of food, resting one in front of her as she smiled in amazement at the meal in front of her. "This looks amazing," she stated as he sat down opposite her and poured her a glass of red liquid. "If that's?" she began.

"It's just cranberry juice, I thought it would at least look like wine," he declared, a laugh leaving her lips as she took in everything he'd done to perfect their evening. "I was thinking that perhaps we could go for walk later," he suggested as Kate nodded, taking a bite of her meal before moaning. "Is it okay?" the writer asked quickly.

"It's amazing," she stated as he smiled at her, taking in her excitement as she continued to eat while Rick watched her in fascination. "We're a lot friendlier with Gates now," the brunette admitted as Rick's eyebrows rose. "We've actually gone to dinner with her and her husband," Kate declared as his interest turned into shock.

"Now if you'd asked me when she first turned up at the precinct whether we'd be going to dinner with Iron Gates, I would have called the hospital," he laughed as Kate shrugged.

"Life is unpredictable sometimes, just look at us right now. Who would have thought that you would forget the last two years? Unpredictable is amazing," she stated, finishing her meal before Rick stood up and carried their plates back into the house while Kate stood up and straightened the summer dress she was wearing.

"Are you ready to go for that walk?" Rick asked as Kate nodded and wrapped her arms around his, the writer blowing the candles out before leading her towards the darkened beach again. "So I was shot?" he asked as Kate nodded silently. "I have a bigger scar than you now," he commented as Kate rolled her eyes at his obvious excitement. "It'll be amazing to tell the baby when he gets here, we can tell him all about mommy and daddy's fantastic adventures," he declared.

"So instead of fairy stories, our baby is going to have the adventures of Castle and Beckett," she commented as Rick nodded and stopped, moving to sit down on the sand as Kate sighed and joined him. "I don't know whether I like the idea of our baby growing up on stories of their mommy and daddy getting shot out and frozen and being involved in so many bomb threats," she admitted as Rick nodded slowly and ran his hands across her bump again.

"You want to hear all the stories about your mommy and daddy, don't you hobbit?" Rick asked as he stared down at the bump, Kate biting into her lip as she remained silent for a moment, relaxing back as Rick leant down and gently pressed a kiss to her material covered bump as a gasp left her lips at the touch. "I'm going to tell him all our stories Kate, all of our amazing adventures. How I followed you to LA and everything," Rick said quietly as he remained close to her bump, her eyes shutting as he continued to brush his fingers across her abdomen. "When I first woke up and remembered fighting with you I was terrified that I'd never see you again, it was the most amazing and scary thing to see you standing there with a wedding ring on and heavily pregnant," he stated as he looked up at her. "I still can't get over the fact that you married me Kate, you're a beautiful and intelligent woman and you married me! You married me and you're having my baby," he said, his voice building up in excitement as Kate laughed and watched as he moved to look down at her. "You married me."

"I married you," she repeated as she brushed her fingers across his cheek, her fingers slowly moving into his hair as she bit into her lip. "I married you and I'm going to have your baby Mr Castle so you better start believing that this is happening," she smiled as he leant down, her eyes slowly shutting as she felt his lips gently touch hers. "I love you," Kate said quietly before they deepened the kiss, both of them not caring about the problems anymore because they had each other and they were having a future that was once in complete doubt.

**So what do you think?**

**Your reviews have been amazing so far and I appreciate every comment that you write and I really hope you continue to respond in such a fantastic way with this chapter. **


	7. Chapter 7

"What about Emily if hobbit's a girl Rick?" Kate suggested as the writer slowly approached the pool, smiling at the sight of her lying back in one of the chairs, her left hand running across her bump while the right tightly clung onto the name book she'd purchased before coming to the Hamptons with him. "I think Emily sounds beautiful, Emily Castle," Kate smiled as Rick sat down on the edge of the seat and nodded before leaning down and kissing her as her smile grew. He was taking any opportunity available to feel her lips against his while still trying to get used to the fact that he was now allowed to kiss Kate and discuss it later. It wasn't some big secret that they had to hide like the first time they'd kissed, they were married and he was allowed to kiss her and touch her and just love her! "You got any ideas for baby names Rick?" the brunette questioned as the writer slowly moved away and nodded before they both fell silent. "Are you going to tell me your ideas then or are you going to keep them for yourself?" she asked as he laughed and watched as she leant forward and allowed him to move to sit behind her comfortably, her body relaxing back against his as his hands rested gently on the bump.

"I actually really like the name Emily Kate, I hadn't thought about it before but I like the way it sounds. Emily Castle actually sounds really beautiful," he admitted as she nodded, her eyes shutting as he began to hum into her wavy hair. "I was thinking about Sophie actually. That was one of my ideas," he commented as she nodded, taking in his name choice.

"Emily Sophie Castle," she whispered before he pressed a kiss into her hair. "Sophie Emily Castle," she added as Rick shrugged, liking the sound of both names as Kate continued to think about how perfect it sounded, how perfect everything was becoming. They were having a baby; they were going to have this beautiful and wonderful baby together! "What about boy's names? I kind of love Noah at the moment," Kate smiled as Rick stared down at her before nodding, knowing that he hadn't thought of any boys names during the week since he'd found out he was going to be a father. "Noah Castle, I think that sounds nice too," she commented.

"It does sound perfect Kate," he declared as she rolled her eyes and sat up, turning to look at him as he remained silent.

"Are you just saying they sound nice because I'm suggesting them?" she asked as he shook his head, a laugh leaving her lips as she rolled her eyes at him before leaning down and kissing him gently, her smile growing as his fingers began to run through her dark hair.

"We were originally going to name Alexis completely different but when we held her for the first time and took in all her features, our first name choice just didn't' seem to fit," Rick explained as Kate sighed, knowing that he was probably right. She wanted to plan everything and makes sure she was prepared in all the areas she could be. "I can't wait to meet our little hobbit," he stated before she nodded in agreement, the two of them falling into a comfortable silence before she sighed, knowing there was one topic she needed to discuss with him.

"Hobbit's really missing you actually Rick," she admitted as confusion covered his face at her sudden comment. "Hobbit misses having you close at night, especially when they want to hear a story from their novelist father," she commented as he sat up as well, his eyes locking with hers as she bit into her lip.

"Is that your way of saying you miss me Kate?" he asked as she nodded slowly, smiling when he stood up and pulled her off the seat quietly, the brunette grabbing her t-shirt and pulling it on over her bikini as she followed Rick towards the beach in silence. "Maybe I could move back into the master bedroom. We could give it a test run perhaps tonight," he commented, not looking at her as he said it while she glanced up at him before finding his hand and lacing his fingers with hers. "If you're comfortable with that though," he whispered as she leant up and pressed a kiss to his cheek briefly, their smiles growing as they stepped onto the beach again.

"Richard Castle, I've been sharing a bed with you for almost two years now. I'm uncomfortable without you beside me," she declared as the writer nodded slowly, excited about taking another step in their relationship. Kissing her had been a dream come true to him but sharing a bed with her was something else. It was intimate, something he hadn't done with her anytime in the past and the idea of seeing her first thing in the morning and before she went to sleep sounded like the best thing he could have ever thought of! "You're comfortable with sharing a bed with me right?" she asked as he nodded enthusiastically, a laugh leaving her lips as she shook her head at him before leaning up and wrapping her arms around his neck and staring up at him. "Then tonight Mr Castle, I would love it if you'd come to bed with me instead of disappearing into the spare bedroom," she whispered as he smiled at her.

"I think that sounds wonderful Mrs Castle," Rick responded as she laughed, allowing him to kiss her quickly before leading her towards the water in silence. "This baby is going to be a water baby, just like this sister," Rick commented as Kate nodded slowly, her feet entering the sea as Rick ran ahead, almost buried in the water as Kate laughed at him. She loved his childlike attitude, it helped balance out how serious she was and she believed that that was what made their relationship stronger. They balanced each other out and brought out characteristics in each other that usually went unacknowledged. "I think it's going to rain at some point," he commented, staring up at the sky as Kate groaned.

"Better enjoy the beach while we have it," she stated, splashing the water at him before laughing when he almost shrieked at the action.

XOXOXOXOXOXOO

"I know it's not as fun as the beach but well, I know how much you enjoy the movie," he admitted as she looked up to see him holding a copy of The Forbidden Planet, her smile growing as he placed it into the DVD player and moved towards the couch which she was lying across. "Any room for me?" he asked as she stood up and nodded, watching as he relaxed into the back of the couch before she  
rested into the remainder of the couch as the movie began to start. "It's scary to think about having another baby again," Rick said quietly as Kate made a noise, indicating that she was listening as he rested his hand on her abdomen while her eyes remained focused on the screen. "Alexis is all grown up and at college being all mature and clever and yet we're going to have another baby," he commented as Kate tensed nervously, terrified that he was regretting their choice to have the baby. "It's amazing and yet terrifying, the whole prospect of being there when our hobbit's born and being one of the first people to see him enter the world and hold him. A tiny human being that we created together because we love each other," he muttered as she smiled, her hand meeting his as she continued to stare at the movie. "There's nothing like holding your new born baby for the first time."

"Rick, what if I'm not a good mom?" she said quietly as shock covered his face as she looked around to face him. "What if I'm not home enough and I miss all those important events? You're an amazing dad, I don't know whether I can be that good," Kate muttered as Rick sighed, burying his face into her hair for a moment before breathing out.

"Kate you're going to be an amazing mom. I've seen you with Alexis and you've taken on the role of the mother Meredith never was and I know that at times you'll struggle and you'll worry and you'll get angry but you'll always be the best mother you can be to our baby," he promised as she nodded slowly. "We all make mistakes; parenting isn't something you can read all about beforehand. You learn on the job," he admitted as she nodded, relaxing into his hold as he pressed a kiss into her cherry scented hair. "Kate, this baby is so lucky to have someone as kind and passionate and dedicated as you," Rick added before keeping his arms tightly around her and holding her close to his body while the rain got louder outside. "Doesn't look like the storms going to be stopping any time soon Kate," he commented, glancing out of a nearby window to see that it was now dark outside, even though it was early in the afternoon, and the rain was running almost violently down the glass outside.

"Just like our first night together," she yawned before shutting her eyes, remembering sitting on the swings in the pouring rain, just thinking about everything she'd done and the one person that she needed. "I'm stupidly tired now," she admitted as Rick stared at her before shaking his head at her angry her voice sounded at the concept of being exhausted. She was used to being able to work all day and now she was exhausted after spending a couple of hours playing in the sea.

"Then sleep Kate, there's not much else we can do today and soon you'll regret not taking all the opportunities you had before hobbit arrived and started screaming for you almost every hour," Rick explained, smiling when she turned to face him, her face burying into his chest as she shut her eyes and relaxed into his hold, enjoying the warmth of his body being close to hers again. "Never doubt that you're going to be a good mom to our baby Kate, you love so much that this baby will be one of the most adored children in the world," Rick smiled as Kate bit into her lip, her eyes remaining shut as she silently listened to what he was saying. Words were definitely his area of expertise, no one could doubt that! "Don't ever doubt yourself again."

XOOXXOXOXOX

"I love the batman pyjamas," Rick commented as he walked out of the en-suite to see Kate sitting on the bed in silence, her smile growing as she shrugged and watched him move to sit beside him, dressed in his own pair of batman pyjamas. The writer had decided to purchase her a pair of matching batman pyjamas a few weeks before his accident and she adored them, even though he continually commented on them whenever she wore them.

"You bought these for me," Kate admitted as he smirked at the idea, not surprised though as he moved the duvet over them before relaxing back against the cushions and shutting his eyes as she smiled down at him. It already felt better having him in the bed with her, she felt like she was at home again just by having him talking with her and laughing at his choice of her pyjamas! "Thank you for sleeping in here," she said quietly as he shrugged, watching as she undid her tied back hair and allowed the curls to fall down her shoulders again. "I know it seems really stupid but I feel better when you're here," she stated before relaxing back in the bed, pulling the duvet around her as Rick laughed.

"You're a duvet hog," he commented, pulling the blanket to try and cover himself completely under the material while Kate laughed at his shocked expression. "I married a duvet hog," he moaned, her smile growing as she moved closer to him so they could share the blanket better. Falling into a comfortable silence as Kate began to slowly shut her eyes, Rick bit into his lip as he remembered something he wanted to discuss with her. "Can I talk to you about something?" he asked.

"Sure," she stated, opening her eyes as he breathed out, trying to work out how to explain it to her in the best way.

"I had this amazing dream last night Kate," Rick admitted as he moved onto his side, his smile growing as Kate stared at him in confusion while the patter of rain continued to violently run through the dark room. "I dreamt that I was lying in bed and I woke up and was reaching out for you to find that you weren't there," he said simply as she nodded slowly before yawning, disliking how exhausted she was. She'd slept for most of the day and yet, here she was, desperate to go to sleep again. "Then I suddenly heard the sound of footsteps and I looked across at the door and you were walking into the room in just my white shirt, which looked better on you than it's ever done on me, and you were holding coffee mugs," he stated, the brunette sitting up as she remained silent, shock starting to cover her face as she nodded slowly, desperate for him to continue with the story. "We discussed something for a while, something you'd done the previous evening and whether I'd enjoyed it and you were embarrassed about it for a moment but god did I love it," he smirked as she bit into her lip in amazement. "We were trying to work out what to do because you'd quit your job, that bit made me laugh when I thought about it later, and well, I was undressing you when I woke up. I don't think I've ever been so upset about waking up from a dream before. It was a good dream," he stated as Kate leant down and quickly kissed him, her smile growing as she moved away from her husband. "What?" he asked nervously.

"You're remembering Rick, you're starting to remember."

**I know it's a shorter chapter to previous ones but I wanted to write a chapter and I didn't have many ideas but now I have something to work from for the next chapter and it will be longer. I'm also planning on perhaps bringing Lanie, Esposito and Ryan back into the story as well as introducing Jim, depending on whether you'd like a scene with them. **

**Please continue to respond in your amazing way. Each review makes my day and I love knowing all your thoughts on the chapters and anything in particular that you'd like to see. This story is as much for you as it is for me! **


	8. Chapter 8

Staring at her as she slept peacefully beside him, Rick smiled as he turned to relax on his side, his smile continuing to grow as he leant forward and gently pressed a kiss to her cheek. He couldn't get over that this was real. He was actually lying next to Kate Beckett, now knowing what it felt like to have her curled up into his arms, her body close to him as she slept peacefully. He had spent the last two years loving her, being close to her and slowly he was getting there. He was going to remember and if the memories were as wonderful and dreamlike like the first he was excited to learn more about what they'd experienced together. Hearing her phone begin to scream, Rick groaned when he felt Kate move before the brunette reached across for the interrupting object and hung up before turning to face him and smiling.

"Did you just not answer the phone?" he asked as she shrugged, leaning up to kiss him as Rick laughed against her lips. "Kate Beckett not answering the phone, this never happens," he joked as she smiled and rested her face into his shoulder for a moment, silence filling the room as they listened to the sound of the sea in the distance. "I like this new side to you detective," he admitted, kissing her quickly as she laughed against his lips. "I want to see this side all the time please."

"I'm on maternity leave, I'm in the Hamptons and I want to enjoy my morning in bed with my husband. They can call back later if it's really urgent," Kate smiled as Rick nodded, laughing when her phone began to scream again and she groaned. "Right," she stated, grabbing the offending object before removing the battery and practically throwing it back onto the bedside table and smiling when she glanced across at the writer. "I just want to enjoy the time we have for just us," she stated, relaxing back as her hands moved to rest on her bump. "Because we're not going to get that much of it when the baby's here and then when I go back to work and we start balancing my job and your job and a baby," she stated as he nodded, keeping her close. "I can't believe you remember our first time," she said quietly.

"It was amazing dream and I really wanted it to be true," he declared as Kate laughed and nodded, smiling as he smirked into her cherry scented hair. "And it was Kate, it was real," he stated as she nodded.

"Best morning after ever until your mother interrupted," Kate stated as Rick groaned. "And I can't say that I've ever had a boyfriend force me to hide in his closet while his mother comes in to discuss his hung over daughter's good qualities," Kate laughed as Rick rolled his eyes before sitting up and climbing out of the bed. "Where are you going?" the brunette questioned as he shrugged, not sure what he was he doing before he moved towards the window, smiling to himself as he looked out to see the sunny weather. "Storm over?" she asked.

"Storms over," he stated as he turned to face her, her smile growing as she slowly climbed off the bed and approached him, his arms moving around her abdomen as she stared out of the window. "I don't think I ever want to leave here Kate," Rick said quietly as he buried his face into her dark hair, loving how it had remained the same smell since they'd first met. "Cherries," he smiled.

"I don't think that's ever going to change," Kate stated as he beamed.

"Thank god, I love that smell."

XOOXOXOXXOOXXOXOXO

"What's the matter Lanie?" Kate asked as she sat down on the sand and watched as Rick stood in the sea, waving at her as she shook her head at him before pointing at the phone she was holding against his ear. "Lanie?" Kate questioned, waiting for a response from the ME as she continued to watch the writer play around in the waves.

"I was just wondering how you and Castle were, we haven't heard from you since he left the hospital," the ME admitted as Kate shut her eyes and nodded, remembering that she hadn't had the time to contact anyone and keep them up to date on Rick's condition. "So how is he? Are you doing okay?" she asked; her concern clear in her voice as Kate smiled and ran her hand across her bump while Rick laughed in the distance as a wave hit him.

"He's good, he's starting to remember," Kate explained as Lanie remained silent for a moment. "He remembers our first night together, he remembers it all and it's amazing. He thought it was a dream and Lanie, he remembers everything," the brunette declared, her voice full of excitement as Lanie laughed for a moment. "We're doing better. We've kissed, we've kissed a lot actually and he slept in bed with me last night," the brunette admitted, knowing that Lanie was probably smirking back in New York at that.

"It's good to hear that, Javi was concerned when he came home from the hospital," Lanie admitted as Kate nodded, remembering how worried the detective had been when she'd rushed out of Rick's hospital room crying because he was angry at her for something that no longer concerned them and didn't remember anything about the last two years of their relationship. "So want to go to lunch sometime this week?" Lanie asked as Kate bit into her lip.

"We're in the Hamptons at the moment," Kate admitted quietly. "But perhaps you could come up with the guys for a couple of days," Kate suggested, knowing that she probably should have talked to Rick first before inviting everyone to their holiday home. Looking up as Rick ran across the beach towards her, Kate smiled as he grabbed his towel and wrapped it around himself before sitting down beside her. "Why don't you ask Ryan and Esposito about it and get back to me Lanie?" Kate asked before the ME agreed, the two women saying goodbye before Kate put the phone down on the ground and leant across to kiss him. "You know you love me Castle," she said quietly as his eyebrows rose. "I may have just invited Lanie, Espo, Ryan and Jenny here," she stated as he glared at her for a moment. "Don't be angry, it's only for a couple of days."

"I'm not angry Kate, just don't want anyone to interrupt us at the moment," he admitted as Kate brushed her fingers across his cheek. "But they're couples too and we're at the beach, in a big house I'm sure we won't be interrupted that much," he declared quickly as she nodded and smirked at his comment before kissing her quickly and laughing. "And it'll be nice to see everyone again," he stated as she nodded in agreement and laid back against the sand as he glanced down at her bump that was now uncovered by the material of her shirt. "Can I?" he asked.

"Of course you can," she smiled, watching as he leant down and gently pressed a kiss to her bump, her smile growing at the touch of his lips on her skin. "You used to tell hobbit stories, every night before we went to bed, you make up these fantastic fairy stories," she stated, her voice sad at the memory of how close Rick had been to their baby before everything had happened.

"Well I'm going to start doing it again Kate, I'm going to start telling this baby stories every night and then when our beautiful baby is in our arms, I'm going to read to them every night," he stated as she nodded, not surprised that Rick was so passionate about surrounding their child with literature. "I read to Alexis every single night, voices and everything," Rick declared as Kate nodded. "She loved it and so did I. I was devastated when she told me that she didn't need me to read to her anymore," he stated.

"Don't worry Rick, I'm sure this baby is going to adore having a story teller for a father," she smiled before her fingers moved to run through his hair. "And I'm sure we'll have another baby in the future so they'll be more children to tell stories too," she admitted as his eyebrows rose, his smile growing as he thought about their family getting larger. "And at some point Kevin and Jenny will have babies and I'm sure Lanie will get Javier committed enough to have a baby," Kate declared as Rick nodded slowly, kissing her quickly as she laughed. "You have nothing to worry about old man, you'll be wanted forever."

"Oi, less of the old man detective," he warned as she giggled and buried her face into his shoulder, his smile growing as he stared at her. He'd made Kate Beckett giggle!

XXOOXXOXOXOXOOXOXO

"They'll be here in ten minutes," Kate called down the stairs as Rick nodded, rolling his eyes as he heard Kate walking up and down of the spare bedrooms upstairs. She was having a cleaning moment and had gone over two of the master bedrooms to make sure they were acceptable for their friends, the writer unable to stop himself from laughing when she started to remake the whole bed because she felt it wasn't suitable for guests.

"Kate if they're going to be here in ten minutes so stop worrying about the cleaning and get down here," Rick declared from the bottom of the stairs, watching as she slowly appeared and walked down the stairs, her hair plaited over her shoulders while the loose patterned dress she wore flowed with every movement. "You look beautiful," he admitted, her eyes rolling as she stared at him for a second before biting into her lip for a second.

"You look pretty good too writer man," Kate stated, the writer shrugging as she rolled her eyes at him and walked past in silence, approaching the door as she heard a car get closer, her smile growing as she walked out to see Javier's car parking outside. "Hi," the brunette smiled as Lanie climbed out of the car and waved at her friend, watching as Jenny, Kevin and Javier stepped out of the vehicle as well before grabbing their luggage and approaching the door.

"You get bigger everyday Beckett," Javier joked before falling silent when he noticed that all three women were glaring at him, the writer shaking his head at the comment as his arm slowly wrapped around the brunette who laughed and relaxed into his side. "I'll be quiet," Esposito said quietly as Lanie nodded, her hand hitting the back of his head as he groaned while Kate bit into her lip to stop herself from laughing at the couple.

"You look beautiful Kate," Jenny stated, interrupting the now bickering couple as Kate smiled and rested her hand on her bump.

"Thank you Jenny," Kate smiled, moving out of the way to allow them into the house before she looked up at the writer who rolled his eyes before gently leading her back into the building. "How was the journey here?" Kate asked as she began to walk up the stairs, everyone following her towards one of the rooms while Rick remained downstairs. "This room is yours; Kevin, Jenny," she stated as the couple nodded and stepped inside, thanking her before Kate began to lead the last couple towards the stairs again and up the last flight into the attic room. "And this is yours for obvious reasons," Kate stated as Lanie's eyebrows rose. "In case you start bickering, I can still sleep through it," she stated.

"Good thinking Kate," Lanie commented, earning a glare from the male detective who quickly turned away when she glance at him. "Don't test me Javier," she warned before looking across at Kate. "We would have been here almost an hour earlier if someone hadn't bothered to ask for directions when he got lost," she stated. This happened every time Javier and Lanie came to the Hamptons. Even after four visits to the beach house, Javier continually got lost in a different area, aggravating his girlfriend more and more!

"We're doing a barbecue tonight so feel free to shower and everything and I'll see you downstairs," Kate stated before walking down the stairs, her smile growing as she finally reached the ground floor to find Rick carrying food outside. "Esposito got lost again," she declared as Rick groaned and shook his head at the idea before resting the food on the outside table before approaching the brunette and watching her for a moment as she played with a strand of her hair that had got lose from the tight plait. "Am I huge?" she questioned as he shook his head and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"You're beautiful, just ignore Esposito. He gets nervous around beautiful women," Rick declared as she rolled her eyes at him before he leant down and kissed her gently. "Want me to hurt him for saying that?" he asked.

"No but I would love it if you could throw him in the sea later," she whispered as he laughed at her obvious frustration.

"I'll talk to Ryan; we'll sort something out Kate. Don't you worry about it," Rick promised as she smiled and cuddled into his arms, enjoying the peace while they both waited for the other couples to appear.

XOXOXOXOOXOXO

"Richard Castle," Javier's voice screamed as Kate watched as Rick ran quickly in front of her with Kevin following before Esposito appeared, completely drenched, the sight of him making the three women laugh as he began to slowly chase after his friends. "I am going to kill you two," he hollered, running after them as Kate shook her head in excitement before relaxing back in her chair.

"You look really happy Kate," Lanie commented as she looked across at her friend who nodded, still watching as the three men ran across the beach.

"What's it like living with Rick when you know he doesn't remember anything about your relationship or even your baby?" Jenny asked quietly as Kate sighed, her hand running through her hair as she tried to think about how to respond.

"It was hard to start with, it was like I'd lost the man I'd married," Kate admitted quietly. "We were barely talking, he was angry at me for things we'd gotten over. I was sleeping in a bedroom on my own with no physical contact with him," she stated before sighing. "But over the last week, we've got so much further with our relationship. We kiss and we share a room, Rick and I talk about things and he's slowly starting to remember. It's kind of like falling in love all over again and it's amazing," she smiled for a moment as Jenny nodded slowly. "I wouldn't wish it on anyone though," she said quietly before watching as Rick walked over and leant down to kiss her. "Thank you."

"No one upsets my wife and gets away with it," Rick said simply before sitting down in the seat next to her, his smile growing as Javier slowly walked over with Ryan in a headlock, the Irish detective groaning as Jenny rolled her eyes at them.

"Boys behave," Kate sighed as Javier slowly released his partner before sitting down beside his own girlfriend who shook her head at him for a moment. "I think I might go for a power nap," Kate stated as Rick looked at her in confusion, noticing the small groan that left her lips, as she gently ran her hand across her bump before faking a yawn and silently disappearing into the house.

"Is she okay?" Ryan questioned, interrupting the writer from following her before he nodded in response to the comment and smiled weakly at their friends.

"She gets tired easily, she needs to sleep for an hour and then she usually wakes up and goes to sleep," Rick admitted before slowly relaxing back, his eyes shutting as he listened to the sound of the waves for a moment.

"Castle," Kate hollered from inside the house, her voice full of fear, as his eyes opened, his body quickly moving and running into the house before speeding into the bedroom. He wasn't thinking anymore, he just needed to get to her as he opened the door to find her not in there but instead the en-suite to be wide open. "Castle," she whispered as he walked into the room to find her with her arms tightly wound around her stomach protectively. "I'm bleeding."

**And you're all going to dislike me now, I can feel it and you're responses have been so amazing. I wanted some angst in the story again to balance out the happy stuff. **

**Anyway please review and I'll hopefully update tomorrow but I do need to revise and I go back to college on Monday so I need to go to bed at a reasonable time instead of staying awake until 1am to work on my chapters. I have lost all sense of bed times and alarm clocks and I am not looking forward to waking up on Monday morning. **


	9. Chapter 9

"You're going to be fine," Rick said quietly as he led Kate out of the bedroom and down the corridor, the brunette sobbing as they stepped outside to find everyone standing outside. "I've got to take Kate to the hospital, can you stay and look after the house and I'll call you when we get some news," Rick stated as Kate cuddled into his side, hiding her tear covered face from everyone as Rick began to lead her towards the car.

"Castle," Lanie called after him when he'd moved away from the house, the ME approaching him as he unlocked the car quickly and watched as Kate sat down inside the vehicle before he shut the door. "What's going on with Kate?" the dark haired woman asked as Rick bit into his lip, looking back to see Kate rubbing her hand across her bump while her eyes remained shut to stop herself from crying.

"She's bleeding," Rick said quietly as panic covered Lanie's face as she looked into the car to see the tears that were running down Kate's face. "I'll call you the moment the doctor tells us something but can you just keep everything positive here?" Rick asked as Lanie nodded, watching as he almost jumped into his seat before thanking her and shutting the door. "Are you in any pain? Cramps or anything?" he asked as Kate shook her head, still running her hand across the bump as he turned the engine on and glanced across at her for one last time before driving away from the house. "I'm sure it's going to be fine Kate. Hobbit is going to be okay," Rick said quietly as he reached across and took hold of her hand, squeezing it as the tears continued to run down her face as she remained silent. "Talk to me."

"What if we lose hobbit? What if we lose our baby? What if we lose hobbit and I didn't realise until I went to change?" she asked quickly as she looked across at him. "Rick this is our baby and I didn't notice that anything was wrong," she whispered as he continued to drive, glad that the roads weren't busy as she desperately ran her free hand across her abdomen. "Stay with us hobbit, don't leave us," Kate begged as Rick looked across at the brunette to see how desperate she was as she stared down at their precious bump. "Please stay with me, I can't lose you," Kate mumbled through her tears as Rick kept hold of her hand, not wanting to let her go. Arriving at the hospital in silence, Rick sighed as he climbed out of the car and pulled open Kate's door before she climbed out, his arm wrapping around her as she remained silent.

"I can't lose our baby, I can't lose our baby Rick," she sobbed as he kept her close, pressing a kiss into her dark hair before they stepped into the hospital, the writer quickly finding a nurse.

"My wife, she's seven and half months pregnant and she's bleeding," he explained, his voice full of panic as the nurse nodded and quickly looked across at a board before smiling at them and leading them towards one of the beds.

"I'll try and find you a doctor but I'll get you a gown to change into," she declared, pulling the curtain around them before disappearing as Kate sat down on the bed and shut her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks as Rick leant across to kiss her forehead, hating seeing her so upset.

"It was all going okay Rick, it was all going amazingly and then this happened," she whispered as he brushed his fingers across her cheek and smiled at her weakly before the curtain around them was pulled back and the nurse walked in with the gown. "When will we be able to see a doctor?" she asked quickly, her panic obvious as the young woman stared at her for a moment.

"Soon, she's just finishing with another patient," she stated before quickly disappearing again, Rick sighing as he held onto the hospital gown while Kate remained perfectly still, the tears staining her face as she kept her hands on her stomach.

"Kate, you need to change," he said quietly as she nodded slowly but not moving as she stared at him, her fear obvious as he smiled weakly. He needed to take control of the situation! He needed to look after her and keep her reasonably calm until the doctor arrived and they found out whether their child was okay! "Lift your arms up sweetheart," Rick said quietly, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he stood up and watched her slowly lift her arms. Pulling the sundress off his wife as she remained still, Rick sighed as he rested it beside her before helping her into the hospital gown while she remained silent. "Hobbit's going to be fine Kate. This baby is going to be strong like their mother so you have nothing to worry about, you've survived a gunshot wound and hanging from the edge of a building, this baby is going to be so strong," he promised, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Stop crying Kate, you're probably worrying Hobbit and he's probably feeling really guilty about scaring his mommy," he whispered as he leant down and pressed a kiss to her gown covered abdomen, desperately hoping that what was saying was true as the curtain opened again and an older woman stepped into the room.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Jones," the woman said as the couple slowly nodded. "And your names are?" she asked quickly.

"I'm Richard Castle and this is my wife Kate," Rick informed her as he clung onto Kate's hand to stop it from shaking in complete fear.

"And how many weeks pregnant are you Kate?" the woman asked as Kate looked at her for a moment.

"Thirty one weeks," she said quietly, moving her hand to her stomach as the woman nodded and smiled at her, recording the information before staring at the nervous couple. "Is my baby okay?" Kate asked quietly, glancing up at Rick for a moment who smiled at her briefly before she looked back at the doctor.

"Kate, we're going to run some tests and then we'll give you an ultrasound to make sure everything's okay with your baby," she stated as both Kate and Rick nodded, waiting desperately to find out whether their hobbit was alive.

XOXOXXOXOXOXO

"Okay here we go Kate," the doctor stated as she started the scan, Kate's eyes shutting for a moment as she waited desperately for the familiar sound while Rick kept hold of her hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles as he stared at the screen and noticed the image of their baby. There was their hobbit and there was the sound of his heartbeat! Hearing the strong sound that started to surround them almost, Rick smiled as Kate gasped and opened her eyes, staring at the screen in shock as the doctor smiled at the couple. "Kate, Rick, you have an extremely strong baby in there," she smiled. "I'm going to keep you here for the night Kate so we can observe you but you're bleeding seems to have stopped and your baby has a strong heart beat so I don't think there's anything for you to be extremely concerned about," Doctor Jones stated as Kate felt the tears run down her face as she continued to stare at the screen. "Would you like me to give you two a moment?" she asked as Rick nodded slowly.

"Thank you," he said quietly, watching as she walked out, leaving the scan of their baby on the screen. "Hobbit has a strong heartbeat," Rick smiled as Kate nodded and turned to face him, tears running down her face as she tightly wrapped her arms around his neck. "Hobbit's going to be fine Kate, hobbit's perfectly fine in there," he whispered to her as she nodded and buried her face into his neck, desperate to stop herself from crying as she felt his hand move to her abdomen. "Hobbit's okay."

"Hobbit's okay," she whispered as she tried to let it sink in. "Hobbit's going to be okay." Hearing footsteps approach, Kate slowly pulled away from her husband before smiling and staring up at him. "Thank you for staying strong, I really needed you," she said quietly as he nodded, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips before moving away when the doctor walked towards them again.

"Now Mrs Castle, I'll come and check on you in an hour and Mr Castle, our visiting times start at ten o'clock," she stated as Kate quickly grabbed onto her husband's hand.

"Please, can he stay?" Kate asked quietly as the doctor shook her head, knowing that went against the hospitals policies. "I just, I don't want to be on my own right now," she begged as Rick sighed and leant down to press a kiss to her forehead, knowing by the look on the older woman's face that she wasn't going to change her mind.

"I'll be here at exactly ten o'clock Kate and then we'll go and do something relaxing for the day that you choose to do," Rick stated as she shook her head, not wanting him to leave her as Rick smiled at her for a moment. "Ten o'clock is only seven hours away Kate, you'll be fine okay. You need to sleep," he whispered as she bit into her lip.

"Please don't go, I need you here Rick. What if something happens and you're not here in time? You have to stay here," she almost sobbed as Rick glanced across at the female doctor, who was staring at them, her head shaking before she smiled and nodded.

"Mr Castle, you can stay because there's the possible chance of something going wrong with your wife but this is a onetime thing and if Mrs Castle has to stay in for another night then you will not be staying with her," she stated before disappearing out of the curtained room, Kate smiling as she leant up and kissed him quickly.

"I need to go and call Lanie quickly, they're probably waiting up for news," Rick admitted as Kate nodded, watching as he slowly walked away and disappeared for a moment. Stepping outside of the hospital as he kept the large smile on his face, Rick laughed as he found his phone and quickly dialled Lanie's cell phone before holding it to his ear.

"Castle, how is she? How's the baby?" Lanie blurted out the moment she picked up the phone.

"Kate's fine, they're keeping her in overnight but the baby has a really strong heartbeat and she's not bleeding anymore so everything seems okay," Rick admitted as Lanie breathed a sign of relief before explaining to everyone else the same details. "Lanie I'm going to head back inside because Kate's still a bit shaken and you four should go to bed, it's early in the morning," he stated.

"Okay Castle, we'll see you later," Lanie stated before he said goodbye and put the phone into his pocket, walking back into the hospital and approaching where Kate was, moving the curtain back to see her lying on the bed with her eyes shut, the thin blanket pulled over her body.

"Lanie's relieved that you're both okay, all four of them were awake waiting for news," he admitted as she nodded and yawned. "Try and get some sleep sweetheart, you need as much rest as possible Kate."

"I love you Rick, I love you so much," she said quietly, her eyes remaining shut as she relaxed, his hand finding hers as she slowly began to fall asleep, the writer pulling the chair closer to the bed as he remained silent. They were both okay! His wife and baby were both going to be okay!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"They're all asleep," Rick stated as they slowly entered the house, Kate nodding as she slowly moved towards the master bedroom before untying her hair and approached the en-suite, Rick entering the room slowly to hear the shower running. "How about I make you some breakfast?" Rick asked as Kate walked out and stared at him for a moment before nodding, her face covered in exhaustion as she yawned for a moment. "I'll go and make breakfast; you have a shower and then get into bed. We'll have a lazy day in bed with some movies, I'm sure the others can keep themselves entertained for a day," Rick stated as she nodded, kissing his cheek gently before she disappeared into the en-suite. Entering the kitchen a few moments later, Rick sighed as he found some fruit and slowly began to cut it up before chucking it all into a bowl and nodding.

"How's she doing Castle?" a voice asked as Rick turned to see Esposito standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"She's in the shower, she's okay though thank god," Rick admitted as he filled a glass with water and looked at the detective. "We're going to spend the day in our room, let her sleep for a bit longer and everything but feel free to do whatever you like. We'll proper order something in for dinner," the writer declared, taking hold of the bowl and glass before smiling at Esposito.

"Look after her Castle, she's like a sister to us," Javier stated as Rick nodded and slowly walked out of the room, entering the master bedroom silently to rest the bowl and glass on her bedside table before sitting down on the bed. Hearing the shower turn off, Rick sighed as he heard her move around for a moment before she slowly walked out of the room in her batman pyjamas.

"Fruit and water," he stated as she nodded, running her fingers through her wet hair before she grabbed a brush and ran it through her hairs. "Let me," he said quickly, her smile growing as she passed the brush to him before sitting down and sighing when he slowly began to brush her hair. "I love your hair," he admitted as she laughed and nodded and felt him press a kiss into her hair. "You have made cherries a massive turn on," he commented as she rolled her eyes. "It was one of the most comforting things ever to wake up and still smell the smell of cherries from your hair when I woke up Kate," he declared as she turned to face him, pressing a kiss to his lips before she sighed.

"Our baby could have…" she began, falling silent when he gently pressed his finger to her lips.

"But it didn't happen Kate, hobbit is still here and healthy," he whispered as she rested her forehead against hers. "Our baby is going to be okay Kate and so are you and I'm going to remember everything but you need to stay strong for me, for us," he stated as she nodded and stared across at the hairdryer for a moment. "Leave it, I like it when it dries naturally," Rick admitted as she nodded and moved to cuddle into his side as they lay across the bed together. "I have all the Star Wars films here," he admitted as she quickly nodded, watching him as he grabbed the dvds and quickly put the first one into the player, her smile growing however when he returned to cuddle her. "The heartbeat was amazing," Rick whispered as Kate nodded in agreement, smiling when the film began to play. "You need to eat your breakfast."

"You're always here to remind me about eating aren't you?" Kate declared as Rick nodded, watching as she sat up and grabbed the bowl before taking a piece of fruit and quickly eating it. "I don't know what I would do without you," she whispered, finishing her breakfast before putting it down and looking at him. "I was panicking and you remained so calm, you got me through that. You got me to the hospital and you looked after me, you made me change. Castle I don't know whether I could ever do this without you," she blurted out as he tightly wrapped his arms around her.

"Well you never have too because I'm here Kate, for better or for worse," he promised, kissing her quickly as she moaned into his mouth.

"I love you, I love you so much," she whispered as tears ran down her cheeks. "I love you," she said tearfully as Rick kissed her quickly before they relaxed back against the headboard and smiled, their focus becoming on the movie as their hands met on her abdomen. Their baby was safe, their baby was strong and safe and perfect!

**Your response to the last chapter was fantastic and I hope you enjoy this one just as much and respond in the same way because it's honestly amazing how much you're enjoying this. **


	10. Chapter 10

"Rick?" Kate asked quietly as she stepped out of the house to see him standing on the beach in his pyjamas, his arms around his body as she approached him quietly, her forehead resting against his shoulder as he breathed out slowly. "I woke up and you were gone, what's wrong sweetheart?" she questioned, the writer turning to face her in shock of the pet name before wrapping his arms around her and burying his face into her dark hair while she remained still and obviously confused about what had driven him outside in the middle of the night. "Tell me, maybe I can make it better Rick," she stated as he moved out of her hair before smiling weakly at her, knowing that she was the only one who could make it better.

"I dreamt of Tyson Kate," he said quietly as she ran her hand to his cheek, half knowing what it was about. "I dreamt that a woman was killed and you arrested me for her murder Kate, I dreamt that he came into the cells dressed as a cop and he was telling me how he'd set me up, how he'd been watching Alexis, how he'd been watching us making love," he admitted as Kate nodded, her other hand finding his before she leant up and kissed him. "I dreamt that he had taken you hostage because of me, I dreamt that he was going to kill you right in front of me and that's when I woke up," he stated as Kate smiled, kissing him again before he sighed against her lips, desperate for her to respond.

"And that's when you shot him Rick and saved my life," Kate explained as he shut his eyes and rested his head against hers for a moment, the two of them falling silent as they allowed themselves to relax.

"So it was real then? It was another memory?" he asked as she nodded excitedly and smiled again before kissing him quickly, the two of them glad just to have another shared memory between them. "You arrested me Kate?" he questioned, her arms wrapping around his neck as he remained silent. "You arrested me Kate," Rick muttered as she nodded slowly, tears appearing in her eyes as she remembered how lost he had seemed and how close she'd been to believing that he'd was cheating on her and had killed the other woman! It made her feel sick just to think about the possibility and how close she'd been to giving up on them.

"I didn't have a choice Rick, the evidence was strong enough against you. I had no option but to arrest you," she admitted as he clung onto her hands. "I love you, I love you so much and I never gave up on you Rick. I believed you the whole time deep down Rick but there were times where it just seemed so real," she sobbed, bearing her face into his neck as he held her close, angry at himself for bringing it up and upsetting his wife. "I would never give up on you and I was so happy to find you in that library Rick, to know that you were safe from Maddox and from the cops," she declared, keeping close to him as Rick kissed her gently.

"And that's why we got married in the library," he said against her lips as she nodded, knowing that the library meant more to them than the classic first iconic moment.

"It was our safe place Rick, the place we went too when we just wanted to be us. We always went there when we wanted to escape the real world, we spent hours sat together reading one a book in silence," she admitted, laughing when he lifted her into his arms before kissing her again. "I'm amazed you can still lift me," she stated as he shook his head at her.

"Katherine Houghton Castle, you might be pregnant but you're still the most beautiful person on this planet to me and I'll always want to carry you when I get the chance," he declared, a laugh leaving her lips before she relaxed her head into his shoulder while approached the sun lounger that was positioned on the decking. Resting her down on it slowly, Rick sighed as he sat down quickly beside her and gently pressed a kiss into her hair before cuddling her close to him while she shut her eyes.

"Has Tyson come back since then Kate?" he asked as she shook her head and buried her face into her side, their hands meeting on her bump as he slowly relaxed and shut his eyes, both of them falling silent as the waves continued in the distance. "I'm sorry for waking you up Kate. You need to sleep," he whispered as she shrugged.

"Hobbit was kicking me anyway and I can't sleep without you properly, you know that Castle," she stated before sighing. "Soon we're going to have a wonderful screaming baby in our life and all this peace is going to be gone," she commented as he nodded and laughed.

"And I can't wait Kate. I can't wait to have this baby screaming for us, needing us for all their needs. Our perfect little baby in our arms for the first time," he declared, painting the perfect picture as he moved his hand across her abdomen while she relaxed into his hold before slowly falling asleep against him.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Kate, you have a visitor," Lanie's voice said quietly as she opened her eyes slowly, looking up from her husbands to see that it was now light and the ME was standing in front of her and her sleeping husband as a small smile covered the medical examiners face. "Your dad turned up today, he's in the kitchen having a coffee," she explained as Kate sat up slowly, her hand moving across her stomach before she stood up and glanced down at her peaceful looking husband. "He's been here about half an hour but we wanted to give you a bit longer to sleep."

"Thanks Lanie," Kate said quietly before walking into the house, approaching the kitchen in silence before her smile grew at the sight of her father sitting in the kitchen. Approaching her father, Kate smiled as he stood up and tightly wrapped his arms around her, her face burying into his shoulder as she remained perfectly still. "Hey daddy," she said quietly as he pressed a kiss into her dark hair before slowly moving away.

"God you look so beautiful Kate, this suits you," he admitted as she bit into her lip. "You remind me so much of your mother Kate when she was pregnant with you," Jim declared before pressing a kiss to her forehead and sighing. "I'm sorry I haven't been in touch recently, I went to the cabin with some friends and my phone broke in the first two days," he admitted as she nodded slowly and moved to sit down with him, her smile growing quickly as she continued to run her hands across her abdomen to feel her baby kicking again. "Is it true that Rick has lost his memory? Martha told me when I go to the loft to surprise you," he asked quickly as she nodded slowly.

"He was in a car accident on the way back to the precinct and he's lost the last two years of his memory but he's getting his memory slowly back. He's remembering all sorts of things now," Kate admitted quickly as Jim nodded and smiled weakly. "And daddy I was taken into hospital daddy three days ago," she said quietly as shock covered the older man's face, removing the smile from his pale face as she stared down at her stomach in silence. "There was some bleeding but the baby's completely fine, the baby is completely perfect," Kate admitted as he nodded, concern still covering his face.

"Jim what are you doing here?" Rick asked in shock as he stepped into the kitchen, Kate smiling as she stood up and pressed a kiss to his cheek as he looked across at the older man. Rick's hair was all over the place and he looked exhausted but Kate was happy to see him awake and smiling again, the memory of the previous evening now gone.

"I just heard about the accident Rick and I wanted to come and make sure that you were both okay," Jim stated as Rick nodded and sat down, smiling as Kate moved towards the fridge to prepare breakfast. "I heard that Kate was taken into hospital," he admitted as Rick nodded silently, knowing that Jim deserved to know. "Is she really okay? And the baby too?" he said quietly as Kate shook her head at her father's questions.

"Dad I am here and I just told you we're fine," the brunette stated.

"And you're known for not telling the complete truth on things like this Katherine so don't blame for getting Rick's opinion as well," he stated as Rick laughed, the brunette continuing to shake her head before she began to cut up pieces of fruit, throwing them into a bowl as Rick looked across at the older man.

"She's okay, they're both okay actually Jim so you don't need to worry about either of them. The doctor even commented that the baby had a strong heartbeat and she says Kate just needs to relax for a bit and they should both be okay," he declared, Kate nodding as she grabbed her bowl of food and sat down on the opposite side of the table before starting to eat her meal. "And as you can see she's eating breakfast and looking beautifully healthy so I think they're both doing okay," Rick stated as Jim nodded and smiled at his daughter. "Why don't you stay for the night Jim?" Rick asked.

"Thank you but I need to get home," Jim stated as Kate rolled her eyes, not surprised that her father had come all this way to just make sure that they were okay. "I just wanted to make sure that you were both safe and that you were doing okay Rick," he smiled before standing and walking towards his daughter, pressing a kiss into her hair as she rolled her eyes. "Now I better go."

"Are you sure you don't want to stay? I'd love to see you for a bit longer daddy, it's been almost three weeks since I last saw you last and so much has happened with the baby and everything," Kate admitted as he smiled and kissed her forehead quickly.

"Katie, I'll see you when you get back to the city. We'll have a family dinner or something when you get home," he stated as she nodded, smiling weakly as he looked across at Rick for a moment before saying goodbye and walking out of the room.

"That man clearly is very protective of you Katherine Castle," Rick smiled as she shrugged.

"He's my dad Rick, and he's very protective of his little girl, especially when she's pregnant with your child and you lose two years of your memory," Kate announced quickly as Rick nodded and laughed, leaning across to kiss her quickly before sighing.

"I think he feels guilty too Kate," Rick said quietly as she stared at him in confusion. "He feels guilty for not being here when you needed him after the accident," he whispered as she bit into her lip and nodded, understanding why her father had made the decision to come all the way to the Hamptons for a short visit.

XOXOOXOXOXOXXOOX

"I was thinking that we could go out for dinner tonight," Rick commented as he walked into the master bedroom to find Kate relaxing back against the headboard, the brunette nodding as she stood up and moved towards the wardrobe to find something to wear. The other two couples had gone out drinking to enjoy their last night in the Hamptons before returning to work and Rick was determined to give his wife something enjoyable to do while their friends were doing everything she couldn't. "I'll be out in the corridor, we'll go in ten minutes," Rick stated, the brunette nodding as he walked out of the room and she reached across for a green dress that she hadn't worn recently and therefore he wouldn't remembered. Dressing herself in the ivy green material, Kate glanced across at herself in the mirror, her hand smothering the material down across her bump before she ran her fingers through her hair and nodded. She looked suitable enough for wherever Rick chose to take them for dinner.

"Oh wow," Rick stated when she stepped out of the bedroom, a laugh leaving her lips as she moved towards him, his arm sneaking around her lips as she smiled. "I had an amazing idea for dinner," he declared as she nodded. "Just tell me now though, what does baby not want?" he asked quickly, her smile growing as she shrugged.

"Nothing really meaty, baby wants vegetables," she stated as he nodded and led her out of the building. Climbing into the car in silence, Kate smiled as Rick sat down beside her before starting the car and driving towards the restaurant he had in mind. Parking the car a few moments later, Rick quickly jumped out of the vehicle before running over and opening the door for her as she laughed to herself.

"Mrs Castle," he greeted, her eyes rolling as she stepped out and felt him take hold of her hand, locking the car in silence before she relaxed into his side and allowed him to lead her. She loved it when he surprised him after learning that his surprises were usually wonderful, especially when he didn't spend ages commenting about them beforehand. Approaching the restaurant, Kate stared at him in confusion. Burgers? He'd taken her to get burgers when she'd said she didn't want meat?

"Castle?" she asked quickly.

"Trust me Kate," he stated, leading her inside as he smiled across at the waitress who was currently serving a nearby table.

"Just take a seat, I'll be over with menus in a minute," she stated as Rick laughed and shook his head.

"Don't worry we know what we want," Rick called over before leading the brunette towards a booth at the end of the restaurant, the two of them sitting down as she glance across at him.

"Do we really know what we want?" she asked as he nodded, the blonde waitress quickly moving towards them.

"What can I get you two then?" the young woman asked quickly, a large smile decorating her face as Rick looked across at Kate who was waiting desperately to hear what he was planning on ordering for them.

"Can we have two glasses of water, a strawberry milkshake to share and two of your vegetable burgers?" he asked as she wrote it down before thanking them and disappearing from sight, the writer smiling as he reached across and took hold of Kate's hand while staring at the rings that decorated her fingers. Watching the petit waitress reappear a few moments later, Rick watched Kate's impression quickly change to delight at the sight of her favourite flavour of milkshake. "Have a sip, I promise you'll love it," he declared as she bit into her lip before leaning across and taking the straw into her mouth, a moan leaving her lips when she tasted the first sip of milkshake.

"That's amazing," she commented as he shrugged. "How did you know about this place?"

"Alexis was going through a vegetarian stage on one of our visits to the Hamptons and someone suggested this place for the best milkshakes and vegetarian burgers and we've actually come every time because they're so great," he declared, her excitement building as she took another sip of the bright pink milkshake in front of them. "Hey! You've got to share," he squealed, a laugh leaving her lips as he quickly began to pull the milkshake towards him.

"Hasn't anyone told you not to steal things from a pregnant woman?"

XOOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Dinner was amazing Rick," Kate called from the en-suite as Rick smiled, relaxing back against the headboard as he waited for her to reappear. "Although I think that waitress was amazed that we went through three milkshakes," the brunette commented as he laughed to himself.

"Well we had to try all the traditional flavours," he stated as Kate shook her head before glancing at herself in the mirror and nodding. She was going to do this! She was going to do this, she told herself over and over again before moving towards the door, her hand lingering on the handle as she bit into her lip for a moment. "Kate are you coming to bed…?" he began, falling silent when the door opened and Kate stepped out in a different black nightie to the one she'd been wearing at the loft. This one was more revealing of her cleavage and ended higher! This one definitely wasn't loft appropriate. "Kate," he said quietly as she bit into her lip. "If this is your way of seducing me, you've already succeeded," he declared as she laughed to herself before moving towards the bed, leaning across to kiss him as he moved his hands across the thin material. "God I love you."

"Then prove it to me," she whispered as he shook his head, disappointment covering her face as she moved away. "Why not? Do I not turn you on anymore Rick? Is that the problem? Am I no longer sexy to you?" she asked nervously as he grabbed hold of her hands and kissed her knuckles quickly as she gently shut her eyes, allowing herself to enjoy the feeling.

"You know you do Kate but I won't risk hurting you, you were in hospital three days ago bleeding and I don't want to risk anything," he admitted as she nodded, understanding why he was thinking like that. He wanted to keep her and their baby safe! He wasn't going to risk their health! "Let's wait until we know that you're both safe and then we'll have a special night together, I don't want to risk anything and have our evening ruined," he whispered, pressing a kiss into her hair as she cuddled into his side. "And can I just say that you look very sexy in this tiny excuse of clothing," he smirked as she punched him quickly.

"You can't say things like that Richard and not have sex with me," she declared as he laughed at her, her smile growing before they both relaxed back against the headboard, their smiles growing as they slowly looked across at each other. "I liked the strawberry milkshake the best."

"I knew you would," he said simply before she cuddled into his side and relaxed.

**So what do you think? The bit with Jim is random but he's a father and I think he'd be extremely protective of Kate if she was pregnant, especially with Rick being 'injured' in a way! **


	11. Chapter 11

"Darlings you're home, and you're early," Martha declared dramatically as Rick unlocked the door to the loft, stopping completely still as he stared at his apartment while Kate stood beside him, trying desperately not to laugh as she took in the horrified look that was covering his face. "Now Richard, I didn't think you'd be home for another couple of hours," she began as he shook his head, remaining silent as Kate bit into her lip to stop a yawn and ran her hand to rest on his shoulder gently, squeezing it a moment later as he continued to shake his head at the sight in front of him.

"Mother, how many people did you have over last night?" he questioned as she shrugged, not remembering the exact number as he took in the empty wine bottles that covered the counter. "Mother, there's going to be a baby in this house soon, you can't just invite people around whenever you want and leave it like this. What if we ask you to babysit one evening? How can I trust you when we go away for a couple of weeks and come home to find our apartment looking like a brewery?" he questioned as the redhead crossed her arms and glared at her son, opening her mouth to speak as Kate stepped forward, silencing them both.

"He didn't sleep very well last night Martha, it was hobbit's fault, he kept kicking me and I couldn't get comfortable and I kept waking Rick up," Kate declared as Rick nodded slowly, knowing that he'd probably been a bit harsh to his mother. "Can you just get this place cleared up?" Kate asked as the older woman nodded and smiled before pressing a kiss to Kate's cheek and moving towards the kitchen. "You and me bed now," Kate ordered, grabbing Rick's hand before she led him towards the master bedroom, tightening his grip of her hands as she fell silent and kicked her shoes off before sitting down on the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry that I interrupted your sleep last night Rick," Kate apologised as Rick shrugged, removing his own shoes before approaching the bed and falling face first onto it, making the brunette beside him laugh as she continued to shake her head in disapproval at his actions.

"I've missed our bed Kate," he admitted as she rolled her eyes before moving towards the other end of the bed and pulling the blanket around them. "We've just got home and we're getting into bed, sounds really lazy doesn't it?" he asked as she nodded, leaning across to kiss him as his hand gently ran across her abdomen. "I'm sorry Hobbit wouldn't let you sleep last night Katie," he said quietly, kissing her again as she shrugged.

"Rick, this baby means the world to me, I don't care about not being able to sleep if at the end of this I'm holding the tiny human that we created together in my arms," she explained, relaxing slowly into his hold as she shut her eyes for a moment before the bedroom door squeaked open.

"Yes mother?" Rick asked quietly as he quickly looked across at the redhead who was standing in the doorway.

"Detective Ryan called earlier as well asking if you wanted to go to dinner tonight, it's Jenny's birthday and he heard that you were coming home today," Martha explained as Kate glanced up at her husband.

"How did Kevin even know we were coming home today? We only decided yesterday," the brunette questioned as Rick shrugged. "You were tweeting again weren't you?" she moaned as he remained still, not knowing how to answer the question in a way that would make her respond positively. "Castle, do you really have to tweet about everything? I mean when I go into labour are you going to tweet every stage? Is the whole world going to know when I'm pushing and you see the head?" she ranted as Martha laughed gently at her son and daughter in law, not surprised to see Kate argue about his constant use of social media sites. "Remember what I tell you in this moment Richard, if I see you even on your cell phone when I'm in labour, I will smash it into a million tiny pieces and you'll never be allowed one with internet access again. Do you understand?" she warned as he nodded quickly, knowing better to argue with an exhausted Kate Castle.

"So what do you want me to tell Kevin then?" Martha asked, bringing the conversation back to where it had started as Kate looked up at the writer who smiled.

"Tell Ryan that we'll be there, we just need to know the time," Kate explained before getting comfortable on the bed again, bringing Rick's hands to rest on her bump as Martha left the room in silence, shutting the door behind her as the writer buried his face into her hair. "That was what you wanted right?" she asked as he nodded slowly.

"I want whatever you want," he responded as she groaned. "Yes Kate, I want to go to Ryan's and celebrate Jenny's birthday. I think it would be nice to spend some time with other people," he declared, revisiting his original response as Kate smiled and relaxed back into her husband's hold. "Try and sleep for a couple of hours," he whispered.

"I would if you stopped distracting me Castle," she smirked as he laughed and shook his head, not knowing what to say to her as he fell silent, allowing them both to relax before Kate slowly succumb to sleep, the writer soon following.

XOOXOXOXOXOXXOXOO

"Kate stop worrying, you look beautiful," Rick moaned as he walked out of the en-suite to see her with her hands resting on her hips while she stared at herself in the mirror. "Kate we'll be late and you look beautiful, trust me," he whispered, moving his arms around her as she smiled to herself at the feel of him holding her again.

"Richard Castle, you say I look beautiful when I've just come back from a run and I'm sweating. I don't trust you when it comes to what I'm wearing anymore Rick," she admitted as his eyebrows rose in amazement.

"Do I really say that?" he asked as she laughed to herself before nodding, her body turning to face him as he stared at her in amazement, taking in the small smile that was decorating her face. "What else do I say about you when you come home from running detective?" he smirked as she moved her arms to wrap around his neck tightly. "I bet you look really sexy," he whispered as he leant forward and pressed a kiss into her cherry scented hair.

"Well you do say that you love the way my clothes stick to my body when I've run really far, you used to like how it highlighted my figure as well, apparently you said it was perfect," she stated, leaning in before their lips met and she sighed to herself. "You're the best at making me feel good about myself though, even though I always say that I don't believe you," she whispered as he brushed a stray hair away from her face and smiled. "Ready to go and celebrate?" she asked, the writer nodded as he grabbed her hand and led her out of the room, smiling at the height difference between them.

"When did you give up heels?" he asked.

"A couple of months back, they were starting to be more and more inconvenient and you were threatening to throw them away if I didn't start wearing flat shoes," she admitted as Rick nodded to himself, not surprised about what she was saying. It did sound like him! "And I think you like there being a height difference between us now," she commented.

"Well it is nicer to kiss you when you lean up that tiny bit and well, you're lovely to cuddle with at this height. You kind of just fit perfectly," he admitted as she rolled her eyes and stepped out of the apartment, resting her hands on the red material that was covering her body. Rick had bought it for her as a present a few days before the accident and she adored the colour and the style, even if she wasn't confident about the way it fitted at the moment. "Come on sexy, we'll be late," he declared as she glared up at him.

"No calling me that in front of people," she warned.

"Not even sweetheart?" he asked as she stared at him, her arms crossing as she waited for the elevator to arrive.

"Definitely not sweetheart Castle," she announced confidently, stepping into the metal box when the doors finally opened, her body turning to look at him. "Hurry up."

XOXOXOOXOXOXOXO

"Happy birthday Jenny," Kate smiled as she stepped into the apartment and wrapped her arms around the petit blonde for the moment, relaxing when the other woman thanked her before Rick kissed Jenny's cheek. "Thanks for inviting us Ryan, whatever you're cooking smells delicious," Kate declared as Jenny walked towards her husband before leaning up to kiss his cheek while Ryan smiled across at the brunette.

"Thank you Kate, it is Jenny's favourite so hopefully you enjoy it," Kevin declared as Kate moved towards the couch to find Lanie and Javier sat together in complete silence. "Do either of you want anything to drink?" Ryan asked as Kate smiled across at the detective and nodded in response, watching as he approached his fridge and opened it before lifting out a carton of fruit juice. "I know you like it," he admitted.

"Thank you," Kate smiled, taking the glass he'd filled with the liquid before moving to sit beside the ME who smiled across at her.

"How are you feeling Kate? No more issues with the baby," Lanie questioned as Kate shook her head and smiled down her bump.

"Hobbit is doing perfectly fine, he's becoming a very active baby though," she admitted. "He kept me up all of last night with his kicking, I couldn't get him to settle down and I couldn't sleep," Kate explained as Lanie nodded, smiling across at her friend before glancing across at Esposito who was staring down at his cell phone.

"Javier Esposito if you don't put that cell phone away right now, I will put it somewhere that you'll never forget about it," Lanie declared as Kate bit into her lip, trying to stop herself from laughing as Rick shook his head at the other couple.

"I'm on call Lanie, I was just checking," Javier stated as the ME crossed her arms and stared at him.

"And I know that you have the world's most annoying and loudest ringtone in the history of ringtones so put it away because you're not going to miss a call," she warned, the detective groaning before rolling his eyes at his girlfriend and placing the phone back into his pocket as Lanie relaxed and smiled at him.

"You are an evil woman Lanie Parish, an evil woman," Javier declared as Lanie shrugged.

"Dinner's ready if you're prepared to stop arguing," Kevin stated as Kate stood up, smiling as Rick rested his hand on the small of her back and led her towards the table, pulling her chair out for her before she sat down and looked across to see Lanie once again glaring at Esposito.

"Why can't you do that for me?" the ME questioned as he stared at her in confusion. "Why can't you be a gentleman? Both writer boy and Ryan have more manners than you do Javier," Lanie criticised as Javier groaned and pulled her seat out before sitting down in the seat beside her.

"Lanie stop being so harsh," Kate declared as Javier smiled at her, his mouth opening to speak as Kate's eyebrows rose, silencing him. "You two behave! We're here to celebrate Jenny's birthday, not to watch you two bicker about your relationship," the brunette stated as Rick bit into his lip, knowing better than to argue with his wife as she glance across at the couple. "You two clearly care about each other so stop commenting on the negatives and think about the positives," Kate stated as they remained silent. "There has to be some positives," she announced as Lanie shrugged, her mouth opening to speak as Kate shook her head. "I don't want to know what they are because I've heard you talk about previous boyfriends Lanie Parish and I don't think any of us want to know about your sex lives," she stated.

"No thank you," Ryan interjected, making everyone laugh before they began to serve the food up, Kate's hand holding onto her husbands underneath the table as they smiled across at each other, not surprised at how eventful the evening had been already.

"So how's your memory at the moment Castle?" Jenny asked as Rick shrugged, not knowing what to say.

"It's getting better slowly; he's remembering a lot more. He actually remembered the Tyson case," Kate explained as the other two detectives nodded slowly, remembering how horrid it had been to see the mix of emotions that had covered Kate's face as they'd arrested Castle for murder. It was something none of them ever wanted to see again.

"Do you remember the time he let Meredith stay?" Javier laughed, trying desperately to get everyone off the concept of Tyson, as everyone but Rick smiled and nodded at the memory, confusion covering the writer's face as he glanced across at the laughing brunette.

"I did what?" Rick asked, horror covering his face as Kate laughed.

"You were an idiot and you didn't know how to say no to Meredith so she was staying in the loft at the same time as I was because my apartment was being fumigated," Kate stated as he groaned, taking in the small details of the story in amazement while trying to deal with the whole idea of having his ex-wife and girlfriend at the time together in the same place.

"I am the world's biggest idiot," he commented, shaking his head as he tried to think about what on earth had led him to let both Kate and Meredith live underneath the same roof! "Why would_ I_ even do that? I'm not suicidal."

**Short chapter and definitely not my favourite chapter but I hope you enjoy it. I wanted to get Kate and Rick back into New York and well the chapters will improve later, this was just a filler chapter to get them back in New York and to bring in some more details. I will go back to the whole Meredith/Kate situation in another chapter because I think it's so brilliant. **

**Your reviews have been amazing as well so please continue, I love hearing from you and I'm sorry it's taken so long but exams are stressing me out at the moment and taking up all my time! **


	12. Chapter 12

"You're mommy is the most captivating woman Hobbit," Rick said quietly as he gently rolled her t-shirt up and pressed a kiss to her bump as she rolled her eyes and moved her fingers through the writer's hair, smiling down at him as she bit into her lip. "When I first met your mommy she had this short hair and she was the strictest detective I'd ever met and she was angry at me because I was so childish and nothing like anyone she'd met before," the writer stated as Kate laughed to herself as Rick continued to press kisses to her bump. "But she slowly started to get used to my childish behaviour and then that acceptance turned into mad and crazy love baby," he whispered, Kate's head shaking as he glanced up at her for a moment. "She's fantastic," he declared before kissing her quickly. "And I love her more than anything in the world and I love Alexis and you so much hobbit and we can't wait to meet you," he stated as she smiled, her fingers moving through his hair as she continued to smile.

"Castle, stop kissing my stomach," she warned as he shook his head and laughed before kissing her again, the brunette relaxing back against the headboard as Rick continued to rest against her bump, enjoying the feeling of being close to their baby again. Hearing a knock at the front door, Rick groaned as Kate sat up properly and shook her head before climbing out of the bed, leaving him lying across the bed in silence. Pulling her t-shirt down over the bump, Kate sighed as she walked out of the room and approached the front door, her fingers running through her dark hair before she opened it to see a smartly dressed and beaming Paula standing in the doorway.

"Hello Kate, don't you look…" she began, staring down at the sweat pants and baggy t-shirt the brunette was wearing before she shrugged and entered the apartment, Kate biting into her lip to stop herself from saying something she'd later regret. "So where is Richard? Has his memory come back yet because I have all sorts of events that he's supposed to be doing for this book of his," she declared as Kate turned to face her, shutting the door quickly as Kate forced a smile onto her face.

"Richard, you have a visitor," Kate called out before entering the kitchen and pouring herself a glass of water, taking a sip of it as the writer walked out also dressed in sweat pants and a t-shirt.

"Don't you two look sweet, you match," Paula smirked as Rick glanced across at his wife who was holding the glass to her face, trying to keep herself occupied so she didn't say something stupid. "Rick we need to talk about book signings and events, people want to see you Richard Castle and this book isn't going to continue selling well if you don't start giving them what they want," she stated as Rick groaned, trying desperately to remember what the last Nikki Heat book had been about. He hadn't read it yet, he'd been too busy with Kate and trying to get used to having a baby on the way and being married to her and reading the book had been the least of his priorities. "Richard…" she began.

"I don't even know what the book is about Paula. How can I talk to people when I don't even know what the plot of it is?" he muttered as Paula shrugged and sat down on the edge of the dining room table.

"Do you have any coffee Rick?" Paula quickly asked. "You know I can't do business without a coffee Richard," she smiled as Rick slowly shook his head, knowing no one in their family was having caffeine while Kate was pregnant.

"We don't have coffee in the house Paula, we're not having it around while Kate's pregnant and we probably won't have it around if Kate plans on breastfeeding," he declared proudly as the book agent woman rolled her eyes for a moment before looking across at Rick who was staring at Kate in silence who was smiling at him.

"You haven't been in the papers since the accident Castle and the books family man who is never in the papers! They want you to be interesting, they want to see you out and about, promoting your book," she listed as Kate shook her head and walked out of the kitchen, moving away from the other two adults before she sat down on the couch and are starting to slow down, you need to start being in the public again! People don't want you to be Richard Castle, husband and relaxed into the corner, trying to ignore the presence of her husband's agent . "You haven't had a baby shower yet have you?" Paula asked.

"I don't know," he said quietly, glancing across in the direction of the couch where Kate was hiding. Approaching the couch in silence, Rick sighed as he leant across it to look at his silent wife who had her eyes shut. "Have we had a baby shower?"

"No," Kate said simply. "We hadn't got round to planning one."

"Then perfect, you can have a baby shower, we can get some professional pictures and send them to some of the papers! People love babies and they love celebrities' babies even more," Paula stated as Kate stood up and glared across at her, waiting desperately for Rick to respond. "I saw a couple recently who didn't tell anyone the gender of their baby until the baby shower; you could do something like that, build up the suspense. It would be a mystery for our crime solving couple," she smirked as Kate looked across at Rick.

"Paula, you know my family is private! I don't want our baby in their papers and I don't want Kate in them either unless she's comfortable with the story," he declared quickly as Kate reached across for his hand.

"Richard Castle, you're relationship with Kate is what sells your books more than anything. They loved the whole will they, won't they at the start of your partnership and now they like hearing all the gossip about the writer who married his muse. You might not like it but she is what's keeping you popular Castle, she is and that baby is as well," Paula stated angrily before grabbing her purse and walking towards the door.

"Paula, Rick isn't popular because he's the writer who married his muse. He's popular because he's extremely talented and because people adore the justice they get from his books. So many people get peace from the endings his books provide. You might not be able to understand that but he doesn't need to be in the newspapers to be loved by his fans, not his true fans," Kate declared as Paula laughed sarcastically and glanced across at the writer.

"Call me when you realise that you need to do something serious and soon Richard," she stated, walking out of the apartment before slamming the front door loudly behind her as Kate sighed and moved slowly to wrap her arms around her husband's neck, noticing the tears that were appearing in his eyes before she kissed him gently for a brief moment.

"You ignore that woman, you ignore everything she says," Kate whispered as he remained still. "You are loved by so many people, every Nikki Heat has been a best seller and you're getting better with every book," she declared passionately before kissing him again, his forehead moving to rest against hers as he remained silent while she smiled weakly. "We don't need to be in the papers for people to love you Richard Castle; they love you because your books are fantastic and you're an amazing writer, you care about your fans Rick and that's all that matters. She doesn't understand you and she doesn't understand them."

"What if I can't write anymore? What if my memory never comes back and I can't write Nikki Heat anymore. You told me I ended it on a cliff hanger Kate, how am I supposed to remember how I planned on continuing it?" Rick questioned, clearly emotional as he moved away. "I'm going to go and change," he said quietly, disappearing into the bedroom as Kate sighed and wrapped her arms around her body, hating Paula more now than she'd ever done before. Sitting down on the couch in silence, Kate waited patiently before the office door opened and Rick stepped out in a pair of jeans and a shirt. "I think I'm going to go for a walk," he said quietly.

"If you gave me a minute Rick, I could come with you," she smiled as he shook his head, her smile disappearing as she stared at him and watched as he grabbed a jacket and pulled it on over the shirt. "Have fun," Kate said quietly as he smiled weakly and leant down to kiss her for a brief second before pulling away and walking towards the door, grabbing his keys before he stepped out and shut the door behind him. Grabbing her cell phone, Kate quickly brushed her hair away from her face before she found the number she needed and dialled it.

"Kate?" Lanie immediately answered as Kate held the phone to her ear.

"Lanie, could you come over now? I need someone to talk too," she said quietly, knowing that the ME would come over immediately from the change in her voice.

XOOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"So what's going on Kate? Have you and writer boy had a fight?" Lanie asked as she stepped into the apartment, Kate shutting the door before they silently approached the couch and sat down beside each other.

"Paula came over this morning," Kate stated, smiling when Lanie groaned and glanced across at her.

"What did she want?" Lanie immediately questioned, Kate sighing as she moved her hand to rest on her bump before glancing across at the front door, hoping desperately that Rick would reappear soon and be happier than he'd been when he'd left.

"She came over trying to get Rick to do something that would get him back into the papers because she believes the books aren't selling that well because we've not been in the paper recently," she began as Lanie began to shake her head, clearly annoyed at Paula already. "She suggested that we had a baby shower and sent the pictures to the baby as well as telling everyone the gender of the baby to answer the big mystery," she began, her hand continuing to slowly run across the bump as Rick smiled weakly. "Rick refused and well, she started ranting about his books are selling more because of us and the whole writer, muse relationship rather than his talent and I think he's upset that he won't write again and everything," she admitted as Lanie nodded slowly. "Lanie he looked so upset."

"I don't blame him for being upset, the evil bitch has no idea when to shut up," Lanie announced as Kate nodded and sighed.

"He was so happy this morning, he was talking to hobbit and just being Rick and then she came and ruined it and now he's going to be worrying about whether he's letting his fans down and whether they'll be another Nikki Heat and he's panicking and I hate it. I was trying to keep work away from him because I knew he'd worry about it and now she's just thrown everything at him at once," Kate said quietly as she sighed, not knowing how to make it better for her husband. "I've not seen him this low since the Tyson case Lanie, he was almost crying. He feels like he's letting everyone down."

"Then you need to remind him that he's not Kate," Lanie announced as Kate glanced across at her in confusion. "You need to remind him that he's everything to you and this baby," she stated as Kate nodded slowly. "You need to do something special for him."

"Thanks Lanie," Kate smiled as Lanie nodded briefly, knowing that Kate just needed a push. "I kind of have an idea of what to do now."

XOXOXOXOXOOXOXO

Sitting in the small café that he used to visit with Alexis when she was a child, Rick smiled weakly at his empty mug while trying to think about everything. Was he letting his fans down? And if he was letting his fans down did that mean he was letting Kate down as well? Kate was his biggest fan, the woman who'd read all of his work and he couldn't imagine what it would be like if he let down the woman he'd married, the woman he was having a child with. Sighing gently, Rick bit into his lip before he took his cell phone out and rested it on the table, noticing the message from Kate asking where he was and telling him that she was waiting for him at home when he was ready to come back. Smiling to himself as he thought of something he could do that would everything up to Kate, he quickly dialled a familiar number before holding it to his ear and waiting for a response.

"Jim?" Rick asked quietly when he heard him pick up the phone a few moments later. "I want to surprise Kate and I need your help," he admitted, smiling to himself. He wasn't going to let Kate down again! He was going to make her see how much he loved her, how much he wanted to be with her and how he wasn't a failure at their marriage just because his memory was gone. He wasn't going to fail a third marriage, not one that involved Kate Beckett!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Kate, I'm home," Rick said quietly as he unlocked the door to find the apartment completely dark. "Kate?" he questioned, reaching across and turning the light on before smiling at the sight. There were blankets resting across the couches that had been moved, creating a canopy over the floor as he heard movement before looking towards the office to see Kate in her batman pyjamas, a small smile covering her face as she walked towards him, kissing him gently before smiling and keeping him close. "I'm sorry for storming out."

"Don't be, you needed some time to think! I've walked away enough times from you too Rick," she smiled, her hands resting on his cheeks as he looked down at her. "You scared me, disappearing like that," she admitted, cuddling into his arms as he held her, not wanting to let her go as he buried his face into her hair, enjoying the familiarity of the cherry smell. That never changed, that was always the same! It had been the same since the first day they met and it hadn't changed, even now when they were expecting their first child together and were married.

"What's with the blankets?" he asked quietly as she smiled.

"I wanted to do something you like Rick, so Lanie and your mother helped me prepare a fort like you kind of used to do with Rick that was suitable to watch films in but also decent enough for me to sleep in because the floor isn't good for my back or for the baby," Kate declared as Rick smiled and slowly walked towards the fort, kneeling down to see a mattress resting on the floor with blankets resting on top of it. "Go and get into your pyjamas and then we can cuddle and watch some movies, I have food and everything," she explained as he stood up and kissed her quickly, his arms wrapping around her as they remained still again. "Can we talk later though?"

"I think we need too," he stated before slowly moving away and disappearing into the office for the second time that day. Changing clothes quickly, Rick smiled as he walked out again to see Kate in the kitchen, humming as she poured drinks for them and carried them and the dishes of food towards the fort before climbing in and relaxing back on the mattress, breathing out as she rested her hand on her stomach. Hearing the floorboards creak, Kate smiled as he appeared, crawling in beside her before leaning in to kiss her. "I'm not letting them down am I?" he asked.

"You could never let them down," she promised, relaxing into his side as she pressed play on the nearby remote, starting the DVD that she'd already placed in the player before the writer had returned home. It was one they'd been seen hundreds of times and she knew that would provide them with the opportunity to talk if he wanted too. "Maybe we should do something, be somewhere, but I'm not using our baby to keep people interested in you Castle," Kate explained as Rick stared at her for a moment. "We were supposed to go to Patterson's launch of the new book in a couple of days but I was planning on cancelling," she admitted as Rick stared at her. "They'll ask you about the book and you won't remember reading it," she declared quickly.

"Then I'll read it before we go. I want to be at this party, I want people to see that we're getting on with our lives even after the accident," he declared as she nodded slowly, concern covering her face as Rick stared at her for a moment. "We could go along Kate; I'll talk to some of the papers about the book and make some mention about us and how excited we are about the baby and starting another chapter of our lives," he declared as Kate smiled and nodded, knowing Rick would do something to make people talk about him again. He was Richard Castle, he had an almost magical way with words and a way with people, she knew that better than anyone in the world. "But I promise you Kate, I'm not going to sell pictures of our baby shower or anything like that to the papers."

"I know you won't Rick, I know how protective you are of family," Kate whispered, kissing him again before sighing. "Great," she moaned suddenly.

"What?" he asked.

"I've got to go and find another dress now," she announced, resting back against the mattress as he laughed at her for a moment. "You're coming dress shopping with me tomorrow Richard; you're not getting out of it now."

"Sounds perfect," he said simply, cuddling her close as they relaxed, enjoying The Forbidden Planet as it played on the screen.

**Thank you for your amazing reviews and hopefully you like this chapter. I really wanted to have a chapter that allowed me to have Rick and Kate separated for a while as well as allowing for some hints at future events. Anyway, hopefully you enjoy it and review again because I love all your amazing comments! **


	13. Chapter 13

"Detective Beckett, looking beautiful as ever," Patterson smiled as Kate walked into the apartment, Rick's hand resting on the small of her back as the older writer leant across and pressed a kiss to her cheek before smiling across at his friend. "I'm still amazed that you managed to marry this one Rick," he smiled as Rick shrugged and glanced across at his wife as she cuddled into his side for a moment before cuddling into his side while she remained silent.

"I still wonder how I managed it too," he admitted, both him and Kate knowing that he really was desperate to remember everything, remember how he'd married her and everything they'd been through together as a couple. "Congratulations on the new book, it's a decent read," Rick smirked as the other writer rolled his eyes before excusing himself and moving away to talk to another couple who'd just entered the room behind them. Hearing her cell phone ring loudly from within her bag, Kate groaned before moving towards the other side of the room, Rick slowly following her as she took the screaming object out of the small purse she was holding before glancing down at it for a moment. "If it's important answer it Kate, no one will mind," he whispered before she looked up at him, a small smile covering her face as she bit into her lip before nodding and answering the phone.

"Beckett," she announced as she glanced behind her to see a large crowd of smartly dressed people who were all laughing and drinking and enjoying themselves. "Esposito slow down, I can't hear you. You need to slow down Espo," she said quickly, smiling across at the writer who was glancing across at the press, the brunette covering the phone with her hand before leaning across and kissing the writer. "Go, do what you need to do to writer man to stop them from chasing us for news," she declared before he nodded and moved away from her to talk to the press about his friend's latest book. "Esposito, what's going on?" Kate asked quietly as she continued to watch Rick talk confidently and with his usual charm about a book that he'd only learnt the plot of the previous day. Looking across at his wife as he finished his sentence, Rick watched as the smile disappeared from her face and her hand moved to her bump, panic covering her face as she locked eyes with him.

"Excuse me for a moment," Rick said quietly, moving away from the press to approach his wife who had now turned away. "Kate what's going on?" he questioned, resting his hand on her shoulder as she put the cell phone back into her purse and remained perfectly still. "Kate talk to me please," he begged, pressing a kiss into her hair as she rested against her husband before shutting her eyes, his hand resting above hers on the large bump. "Kate please," he whispered, holding her close as she tried to think of how to phrase it.

"They found a body Rick," she said quietly as she turned to face him, confusion covering his face as she bit into her lip. "A blonde, she was in the funeral position Rick, strangled," she whispered as Rick stared at her in silence, not knowing what to say. "Rick…" she mumbled, her arms moving around his neck as he pulled her close.

"I want to take you home," he said quietly as she nodded, knowing that he needed to go home as much as she wanted to go back to the loft where they both felt safe. Feeling his hand move to the small of their back as they separated, Kate allowed the writer to lead her towards the exit as he waved across at Patterson before they left the apartment. "How certain are they?" he asked.

"They're not sure, it could be a copycat but I don't want to take any risks. Not with the baby and how he was last time," she said quietly as they entered the elevator together, both of them clinging onto each other's hands, neither of them knowing what to say to each other as the seriousness of the situation set in. "I don't understand why he'd go back to his original MO, I don't understand why he'd suddenly go back to blondes and strangling?" she asked quickly as the writer glanced across at her.

"He's toying with us Kate," he said quietly, bringing his arm around her to cuddle her close to his body as he shut his eyes for a moment, neither of them saying anything to each other. There were no words to make the situation better, especially if it wasn't a copycat. If he was back then they couldn't take any chances, not with their baby involved now. They weren't just Castle and Beckett anymore, they were a married couple with a baby on the way and they couldn't take any more chances, not with their baby's life involved. "I'm going to keep you safe Kate, both you and hobbit, no matter what it takes."

**It's short but I wanted to mark my return with something dramatic so hopefully you enjoy it. Please review, I love hearing from you and your reviews have been amazing so far and I'd love to know your opinions on this chapter as I'm taking a risk with it. We will be returning to the amnesia focus but I needed some drama! **


	14. Chapter 14

"Castle what are you doing here?" Javier asked as he walked out of the break room, staring in shock as the writer stepped out of the elevator and stared at the two detectives who were now in the doorway of the break room watching him. It was two in the morning and they knew he should be at home with his pregnant wife, rather than in the precinct with them while they attempted to find 3XK's next move. "Where's Beckett?" Esposito questioned, glancing across at the Captain's office, glad that Gates had decided to go home an hour ago. They all knew that Castle wasn't supposed to be at the precinct without Beckett and she wasn't supposed to be here anyway, not when she was maternity leave.

"She's at home," he said quietly, sitting down in his seat for a moment before glancing up at the murder board. He needed to catch this man, they needed to catch the bastard who just kept coming back and destroying everything. "I couldn't sleep," Rick admitted, running his fingers through his hair before sighing. He didn't know what to say or do; he just needed to find out whether they were any closer to catching Tyson. "She was fast asleep and I didn't want to disturb her by calling," he added to his explanation before Javier and Kevin nodded and moved towards their own desks, all three men staring at the murder board in complete silence. "Are we certain it's him? He's definitely back?" Rick asked quickly as Kevin nodded, all three men staring at the young woman who'd lost her life because of the evil bastard! Hearing his cell phone ring, Rick sighed as he reached down and grabbed it, immediately noticing Kate's name and picture that was flashing up on the screen.

"You should answer that Castle," Kevin commented as Rick yawned and nodded before standing and walking towards the break room. "He shouldn't here, he should be at home," the detective whispered to his partner as Javier nodded in agreement. The writer was clearly exhausted and they both knew he needed to be home with his pregnant wife. They knew Kate would be angry if she woke up and found him not there, especially if she discovered that he was at the precinct without her. Turning around, the two men sighed at the sight of Rick staring down at his cell in the middle of the break room, clearly trying to decide what to say. Hearing the screaming object go silent for a moment, Rick shut his eyes before it began to go off again.

"Hey sweetheart, why aren't you asleep?" Rick answered as he held the phone against his ear and sat down.

"I noticed there was a large empty space in my bed that my husband usually sleeps in, where are you? I checked the house and you're not here and your jacket's gone too," Kate explained, yawning as she reached the end of the sentence, the writer feeling guilty at being the reason why Kate was awake. "Rick, come home, wherever you are just come home," she said quietly as Rick glanced across at the murder board again.

"I'm busy right now Kate, but I'll be home soon, try and get some more sleep," Castle explained as she groaned.

"How can you be busy at two o'clock in the morning Rick? Please come home," she begged, clearly upset at him not being present. "Castle whatever is important to you right now at this stupid time in the morning can't be as important as our baby," she declared. "Where are you Rick? I'm coming to get you Rick," she stated, clearly moving around as he shook his head for a moment.

"I'm just at the Old Haunt Kate, I'm going to finish writing the chapter I'm working on and then I'll be home. I'll probably be gone another hour Kate and then I promise I'll be home," he lied as the brunette groaned at his answer.

"Castle, I'm coming to get you right now. You can't just disappear, especially not with him around," Kate stated, clearly angry at him as Rick sighed, knowing that he needed to be honest with her. "Do you now I felt? Waking up and finding you not in the apartment, anything could have happened to you. You disappeared; he could have hurt you or something! Anything could have happened to you Rick and I wouldn't have known," she almost shouted down the phone, clearly angry at him for walking out.

"I'm at the precinct Kate," he stated before she groaned.

"Don't go anyway Castle," she announced before hanging up, not saying anything as Rick threw the cell onto the couch he was sat on before he ran his fingers through his hair. He'd screwed up, he knew that and now Kate was angry at him. His wife was angry at him and he knew this time that it was his fault.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Where the hell is he?" Kate shouted as she stepped out of the elevator in her pyjamas, her jacket pulled over her clothes as she ran her hands through her hair while Javier and Kevin stood up. She was clearly angry, her hands now resting on her large bump before she glanced across at the break room where she could see Rick sitting. "Why didn't you two send him home?" she asked, moving towards the two detectives' as they remained silent. "He shouldn't be anywhere near this case, he should be at home."

"Sorry," the two men whispered, knowing better to argue as she moved towards the break room and stepped inside, Rick quickly looking up and she crossed her arms for a moment.

"You bastard," Kate announced as he stared at her for a moment. "You complete and utter bastard," she declared, clearly upset as he stood up and moved towards her, amazed when she stepped away. "When you left, did you think about what I would think when I woke up and found you missing? He's out there Castle, he wants to kill you Rick and you just walked out in the middle of the night," she stated as he grabbed her hand quickly, holding it tightly as she stared at him in silence. "You might not be used to being my husband Rick but you are and you are this baby's father and you can't just scare me like that," she said quietly before Rick pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her, her arms wrapping around his neck as she buried her face into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, keeping her close as Kate bit into her lip. "I wanted answers; I wanted to know if we were any closer because I couldn't sleep. I couldn't sleep with the prospect of him being out there Kate. He could hurt you or the baby, he could hurt anyone I care about," Rick declared as he pressed a kiss into her hair. "And I really must have scared you because you're in your pyjamas in the middle of the precinct and you don't care," he stated as she laughed and nodded, staring up at him for a moment before kissing him gently.

"This doesn't mean I've forgiven you Richard Castle," she warned as he nodded and kissed her again, cupping her face as she sighed. "Can we go home? I want to go back to bed and sleep for one hundred years," she whispered as he nodded, glancing across at the murder board before Kate groaned and rested her hand on his cheek, brushing his head back to look at her. "No more 3XK Rick, we have other priorities, we're having a baby and we need to work on your memory. Let Ryan and Espo focus on this," she whispered, kissing him gently as he kept her close for a moment.

"I shouldn't have walked out today Kate, I should have at least written a note. I wasn't thinking at the time," he muttered, knowing he was wrong as he stared down at the pregnant brunette for a moment. He did have other priorities to deal with, including his own issues. "Let's go home; I'll make you a hot chocolate, we'll watch some cheesy films and hopefully get some more sleep," he said quietly before kissing her gently and leading her out of the room as Ryan and Esposito watched them in silence.

"We're going home now," Kate explained as the two men nodded, smiling weakly as she looked at them. "Go home to your wife Kevin and your girlfriend Javier, go home and get some sleep for a while. You won't think properly when you're tired," she stated. "Please go and get some sleep, it's early and you're both exhausted," she stated before leading Rick towards the elevator and smiling weakly as they stepped into the metal box together and his arm snuck around her hips to keep her close. "I love you, you bastard," she whispered as his laugh filled the small room.

XOXOOXXOXOXO

"God I'm exhausted," Rick yawned as they approached the apartment together; the brunette nodding in agreement as her hand moved up to covered her mouth to hide the yawn that was beginning to grow. "Literally, let's get you home," he smiled, unlocking the door before he reached in and turned the light on, shock covering their faces as they stared inside. "Oh god," he said quietly as he moved away from the doorway and rested against the corridor door.

"Go and call the boys Rick," she ordered as he nodded quickly, not arguing as her hand slowly moved to rest on his shoulder for a brief moment. "And then call Alexis, make sure she's alright for both of us," she said quietly, kissing him gently as he nodded and dialled the needed number while Kate moved towards the open door, her eyes glancing down at the redhead woman who was lying on their apartment floor dead!

**And the drama thickens, slightly. **

**Thank you for your amazing reviews and hopefully you enjoy this chapter and continue to review as amazing as you've done in the past. **


	15. Chapter 15

Standing nervously in the corridor, Kate tightly wrapped her arms around her body as she watched the numerous detective's and crime scene units that were filling her home to investigate the dead body inside. She knew she needed to go somewhere and get some sleep but she didn't want to leave yet! Tyson was getting cockier, leaving a young redhead in their apartment dead! Feeling a hand rest on her shoulder, Kate quickly glanced behind her to see her husband staring at her while sliding his cell phone back into his pocket.

"Alexis is fine, she thought I was calling about the baby and when I told her I just wanted to make sure she was okay she moaned and told me to call her back at a more appropriate time in the morning," he smiled as Kate nodded and cuddled into his side, knowing that both their worries were slightly more relaxed. Seeing that young woman on the floor had made them both think of Alexis and that terrified them, the possibility that he wasn't just killing to get at them but also threatening their daughter. "She's okay Kate, Alexis is okay," he said quietly as she nodded, burying her face into her shirt to stop herself from crying. She desperately wanted to be strong, she needed to be strong when her colleagues were around but it was three o'clock in the morning, she was exhausted and there was a dead body in the building she was making her family home!

"Esposito, upstairs," a man shouted from within the loft as she locked up. What was upstairs? What was going on in her home? Hearing the elevator door open, Kate turned to see Martha slowly walking up the corridor, confusion covering her face as she stared at the couple.

"What's going on?" she questioned as Kate moved of Rick's arms and watched as her husband quickly moved towards his mother before tightly wrapping his arms around her. "And I'm being hugged, why am I being hugged?" Martha asked in shock as the brunette smiled weakly and approached her family, Rick moving out of the way as Kate wrapped her arms around the redhead who immediately looked down at the younger woman before staring up at her son. "What's going on?" she mouthed to her son as Rick glanced across at the apartment.

"There's a body," he replied silently as shock covered the older woman's face as she kept Kate close to her, knowing the brunette was shaken up by the way she was cuddling into her side. "Kate, why don't you go and check into a hotel?" Rick suggested as Kate moved away and shook her head before silently moving towards her apartment door.

"Esposito? Ryan?" she called inside, watching as Ryan slowly moved towards the doorway where she was waiting, her eyes staring down at the body that Lanie was examining. "What's upstairs?" she asked quietly, her hand running across her bump as Kevin remained silent, not knowing what to say. "Tell me or I'll go up there myself," she warned as he looked up at her and smiled weakly.

"There's another body upstairs," he said simply as she nodded slowly, not surprised by that. She had guessed it the moment she heard that there was something upstairs, something that was urgent for Esposito to see.

"Tell me," she whispered, watching as Lanie moved away from the redhead, the body quickly being covered before she smiled weakly across Kate and disappeared upstairs. "Tell me what's going on," Kate begged as Rick moved towards her and rested his hand on the small of her back.

"A brunette, in her thirties, he's attempted to make her look heavily pregnant with a pillow," Ryan admitted as Rick's hand quickly moved to Kate's hip to hold her closer to him, desperately trying to protect her almost as she stared across at the other detective before nodding slowly, her own hand moving to rest on her bump.

"Where upstairs Ryan?" Rick asked quietly, already knowing that he probably didn't want to answer.

"In the nursery Castle."

XOXOXOXOOXOXOXOXO

"Why don't you go to a hotel Kate and get some sleep?" Rick suggested as he looked down at the brunette who was sat in her chair at the precinct, her hand running across her bump as she smiled weakly for a moment before shaking her head. "Go and check into a hotel with mother, make sure she gets some sleep," he stated as Kate stared up at him before shaking her head again. He knew she was stubborn but he wanted to get her somewhere safe, where she could at least try and sleep and do what was best for their baby. "I know you want to be here and to help solve this case but you're on maternity leave, you're heavily pregnant and this man wants to hurt us. You can't do this case," he declared as she stood up and glared at him for a moment.

"What so I go home and act like your little housewife while you get to play with the big boys and go after the bad guy?" she questioned as she crossed her arms. "I might be pregnant but I'm still the cop in this relationship, I'm still the detective Rick," she shouted before grabbing her jacket and pulling it on. "If I leave here then you come with me Castle! You're not investigating this without me because you are my partner and I'm the cop," she warned.

"For god's sake Kate, I need to stay here and help," he insisted as she shook her head at him. "He was in our home Kate; he's killed three more women just to make us notice him again. He made a woman look pregnant and put her in our baby's nursery Kate," he announced as she remained silent. "What if you'd been there Kate? What if you'd been there while he did this? Maybe it would be you who would be in that nursery right now and it wouldn't be a pillow but rather our child," he almost screamed as she remained silent. "Kate…"

"Call me if you have anything new," Kate stated as she looked across at Ryan and Esposito who nodded and watched as she moved past her husband and approached the elevator in silence.

"Where are you going?" Rick called out as she hit the button and glanced at the writer briefly.

"Somewhere far away from the man who thinks he can control what I do," she stated as Rick groaned, knowing he'd upset her now.

"Kate, I'm not trying to control you but you _are_ my wife and I have some say in what you do when you're carrying our baby," he said, his frustration building as Kate turned to face him.

"You don't even remember marrying me Castle, how can you remember what any of our roles in this marriage are like? In your head we're still just starting a relationship and this baby was just thrown at you one day. Do you remember? You said this was some kind of joke," she stated as tears filled her eyes. "Don't try and act like you understand how our marriage works because you don't," she hissed before walking into the elevator, glad that the doors had finally opened.

"Kate," he called out.

"Just leave me alone," she declared, the doors shutting before she ran her fingers under her eyes to brush away the tears that were starting to fall. She hated her hormones and how emotional they made her! She was Detective Beckett, she dealt with murder every day and yet everyone was now looking at her with concern like she couldn't deal with this case! Her own husband was looking at her like she couldn't cope and that was the worst! Grabbing her cell phone out of her pocket, Kate sighed as she dialled a number and waited for a response.

"Katie?" Jim Beckett yawned as she smiled weakly.

"Hey daddy, are you at home?" she questioned, desperate for him to be home so she could go and stay with him for a while.

"No, I'm at the cabin, remember? I went fishing with some friends," he explained as she nodded slowly and rested against the elevator wall. "Is everything okay?" he asked, clearly concerned as she remained silent. "Katie?"

"Rick and I had a fight and I can't go to the loft as it's now a crime scene," she said simply.

"Katie, what did you do?" he asked in shock before she laughed to herself, realising what it had just sounded like.

"He's fine dad but two women were found dead in our apartment so we've been kicked out and I don't really want to go to a hotel right now," she said quietly as Jim sighed, still in shock at the fact that two people had been found dead in his daughter's family home. "We haven't had a fight like this in ages and we were both being so stupid."

"Kate, it's almost four o'clock in the morning. You're tired and upset, you need to go and get some sleep," he stated as she nodded, knowing better than to argue with her father. "Go to my apartment, get some sleep and I'll be home as soon as I can be to knock some sense into you and your writer," he announced as she smiled weakly, stepping out of the elevator in silence.

"Thanks dad," she whispered before they both said goodnight and hung up, the brunette quickly moving to catch a passing cab.

XOOXOXXOXOXO

Stepping out of her father's bathroom as the front door continued to be knocked at, Kate sighed as she ran her hands through her wet hair and approached the door silently. Opening it slowly, Kate smiled weakly at the sight of her mother in law in the doorway with a large purse thrown over her shoulder.

"Your father called me, he won't be able to get back tonight because of the traffic and he didn't want you to be alone," Martha explained as she stepped inside and smiled at Jim's apartment before turning to face her daughter in law. Kate looked exhausted, it was the first thing she noticed and then the redness under her eyes started to become more prominent, a clear indicator that she'd been crying. "Come on, let's get you into bed and then we'll talk," she announced as Kate opened her mouth to speak before falling silent again, allowing Martha to lead her into her old bedroom. "Now you get comfortable and I'll get you a drink."

"Thanks Martha," Kate said quietly, watching as the energetic redhead stood up and walked out of the room, reappearing moments later with two mugs.

"Your father really needs to stock up on food," Martha commented as Kate laughed and nodded, taking a mug from the older woman before relaxing back. "I'll be having words with him when he gets back, we can't have him starving after he moans at you all the time for losing weight," she commented before Kate nodded in agreement.

"He hasn't done that for a while," Kate smirked as she glanced down at her abdomen, both women laughing at the comment. "Thank you for coming," Kate said quietly, breaking the silence that had now filled the room before she took a sip of the hot chocolate Martha had prepared.

"Darling, you're just like a daughter to me, I'm not going to leave you on your own at a time like this," she stated as Kate looked down in silence. "Richard called me before your father did," she added.

"Was he angry?" Kate asked.

"He was concerned about you, wanted to know if I'd seen you since you'd left the precinct," she said simply as Kate nodded to herself. "He was quite upset about the fight you had."

"Did he tell you what we said?" the detective asked nervously as Martha nodded again. "I was being stupid, I was tired and the whole thing freaked me out, I just wanted to go home but he wanted me to go to a hotel on my own while he stayed at the precinct with the guys, trying to solve the case. I was stupid and started telling him that he knew nothing about his role in our marriage, it was a stupid argument," she said quietly, tears running down her cheeks as the older woman shook her head and brushed the tears away.

"You weren't being stupid Kate, Richard shouldn't be there. He's not a cop or a cop's partner at the moment. You both need to be at home getting ready for the amazing step you're going to take soon," she smiled as Kate yawned slowly, the redhead smiling as she took the mug from her daughter in law and watched as she relaxed in the bed. "You're having a hard time at the moment, both of you are but you'll soon realise that you've got more important things to deal with".

"There was a body in our baby's nursery Martha," Kate sobbed as the redhead nodded, knowing that Rick had been shaken up by that as well as the particular appearance of both bodies. "There was a redhead and a brunette, Alexis and me," she said quietly, Martha shutting her eyes briefly as she listened silently. "He was threatening us directly and our baby," the brunette sobbed, hating how weak she seemed at the moment. "I was supposed to be there Martha, I was almost there alone," she declared, her hand slipping to her bump as the redhead brushed hair away from Kate's face.

"But you're okay," Martha soothed gently. "Richard got something for you, he thought you might want it and he managed persuade Lanie to get it from the loft," the redhead declared as she leant down and dug into her purse before smiling and bringing out the toy elephant Kate had bought for the baby. "Hobbit is perfect Kate, hobbit is safe and sound and so are you and Richard and Alexis," she promised, leaning down to press a kiss to Kate's forehead as the woman grabbed the small elephant. "Get some sleep."

"Rick was okay wasn't he?" Kate asked quietly, her eyes shut as she remained perfectly still. "I said some horrible things."

"He understands, you're both exhausted and scared, but he understands," Martha whispered as she moved off the bed and sat in a nearby chair, staring at the younger woman who was almost asleep. "He's left the precinct now Kate, he's gone to a hotel and he'll call in the morning."

"Good," the brunette yawned before falling silent, allowing sleep to finally take over as Martha continued to watch her protectively.

**I took a risk with this chapter but hopefully you enjoy it. I'm not sure about the Rick and Kate argument but emotions are high and they're tired and hormones are high with our favourite detective. Also I wanted to bring Jim back and there will be more of him in the future as well as Martha and Alexis. **

**Thank you for your amazing reviews, I hope that you're happy that I didn't kill of Martha and Alexis but I'm kind of glad that's where your minds went because that's the reaction I wanted Castle and Beckett to have when they first saw the body and that second body was a surprise to me too. Anyway please review, your comments make smile and at the moment, I need to smile a bit more. **


	16. Chapter 16

Reaching across in the bed for him, Kate slowly opened her eyes as she stared at the empty space before groaning, wanting desperately for it to have all been a bad dream! She wanted her husband to be beside her like he was every morning, his arms tightly wrapped around her body, making her feel safe even with everything bad that was going on. Sitting up slowly, Kate reached across to turn the bedside lamp on before she stared down at her bump and the small elephant that was resting on the pillow beside her. Taking hold of the elephant, Kate smiled to herself before she gently kissed the small toy and relaxed back against the headboard, her fingers running across the soft material as she shut her eyes. It had been Rick's idea to have an animal themed nursery, especially with the focus on elephants. Hearing a bang out in the corridor, Kate sat up, panic quickly covering her face as she waited for another door. What if it was Tyson? What if the last time she saw her husband was during a fight and she didn't even tell him that she loved him? What if she never saw Rick again? What if she never saw her husband again, the man she adored more than anything in the world? The man she'd been so rude too!

"Sorry darling that was me, I was attempting to walk in the dark," Martha called out as Kate smiled weakly; breathing out the breath she'd been unknowingly holding at the thought of Tyson coming to kill her. Reaching across for her cell phone, Kate sighed as she stared at the background picture of her and Rick at the Hampton's with the largest smiles covering their face. She'd just told him she was pregnant and Alexis had succeeded in catching the moment on camera. Going through her contacts, Kate hovered above the name before nodding to herself, knowing that this was what she needed to do.

XOOXOXOXXOOXO

Lying in the cold and unfamiliar bed, Rick continued to run his fingers across the pillow on the side of the bed that Kate usually slept on. He missed her, he wanted her back and he wished he'd gone to her father's apartment earlier in the evening to see her but he'd been scared and he'd thought she'd want space like the Beckett he remembered. The Kate he used to know continually wanted space and this new Kate, the Kate he was now married too and expecting a baby with wanted to be open and talk to him. It was bizarre to remember Kate wanting you to disappear from her life and never wanting you to be involved in it again to waking up and finding yourself married to that woman with a baby on the way. It was terrifying and yet the most amazing thing ever, to find yourself married to the woman of your dreams! Sitting up slowly in the hotel bed, Rick looked around before shutting his eyes slowly. He wanted to be at home with his family, with his wife. He wanted everything to be perfect, especially in the last couple of months in Kate's pregnancy and it seemed like everything was falling apart around them in the very moment that their relationship was developing. Tyson was back, he was sleeping in a hotel while his wife was miles away and he was terrified for everyone's lives now. Hearing his phone shriek loudly, Rick quickly opened his eyes before glancing down at his phone, amazed to see Kate's picture flashing up on the screen.

"Hello," Rick said quietly, waiting for Kate to respond.

"Can you come over? I…" Kate began before falling silent for a moment. "I miss you; I want you to come back Rick and well I just, I want to talk to you. I _need_ to talk to you about what happened today," Kate blurted out as Rick's smile continued to grow at just the sound of her voice before he climbed out of the bed. "Thank you for the elephant as well, I love it," the brunette said quietly, knowing that he would find that amusing to hear. He was still learning about her, she knew that and she loved telling him things about herself that he wouldn't have believed before they'd been in a relationship.

"I'll be there in twenty minutes maximum Kate," Rick said quickly before Kate groaned. "Not soon enough?" he asked as she laughed.

"I just miss you Castle, so hurry up and get here."

XOXOXOOXXOXOXO

Hearing a knock at the front door, Kate quickly moved out of her bed before running towards the door, her hand resting on her stomach as she glanced across at the spare bedroom where she knew Martha was sleeping. She didn't want to disturb the older woman as she reached the front door and slowly opened it, her smile growing as she opened it to see Rick standing there with his jacket thrown over his own pyjamas like she'd been earlier that day.

"Kate," he said quietly, laughing when she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his shoulder. "It's okay, I'm not going anywhere again, I was stupid today," he whispered before she shook her head and looked up at him for a moment.

"I was the one who was being stupid Rick, I said some really horrible things and I'm sorry," Kate said quietly before kissing him, Rick's arm sneaking around her before she held him close. "I love you Rick and serial killers and this stupid amnesia won't take away our wedding vows or the fact that we're going to be a family together soon," the brunette smiled weakly, her hand moving to his cheek as he stared at her. "Come to bed, it's cold and you need to cuddle me," Kate said quietly before leading him towards her old bedroom, the writer kicking the door shut before they slowly approached the other room and stepped inside.

"I'm not going back to the precinct," he said simply as they climbed into the bed together before turning to look at each other, their smiles growing as they laced their fingers. "I need to realise what's important and right now that's you and our family and getting my memory back before this one comes and joins us," Rick explained before kissing her quickly as she nodded, knowing that today had scared them both.

"Dad thought I'd shot you," she said quietly as confusion covered his face. "I told him we'd had a fight and our home had become a crime scene, he thought I'd killed you," Kate admitted before Rick laughed and brought her close to him as they continued to smile. "Why did you choose the elephant to give me? Why did you think I'd want the elephant more than anything?" she said quietly, reaching across for the small toy as Rick watched her gently run her fingers across the soft material.

"I've seen you holding in photos and whenever we've gone into the nursery you've taken hold of it," he explained as she nodded and slowly. "Why does it mean so much for you?"

"I had a toy elephant when I was a kid, it was my favourite toy and I wanted our baby to have one too," she explained as he watched her in complete silence. "I spent ages looking for one and I was giving up. I had a bad day once and you were in a meeting with Gina and I was walking to try and calm down and then I saw it, it was a small shop but it was in the window and I just fell in love with it instantly," Kate explained before leaning in and kissing him gently before resting against him in silence. "Our home is never going to be the same," she said quietly.

"We'll make it work, we'll make the apartment feel like home again," he promised, keeping her close to his body as she shut her eyes briefly.

"The nursery won't be the same though. That was our baby's room Rick and he put a dead body in there, it'll never be the same," Kate said quietly, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks as Rick kept her close to his body, not wanting to let her go as she silently cried against him. "He's destroyed our baby's nursery Rick, it's ruined."

**Short chapter but I wanted them to make up but I've also got to get on with work. The next chapter will be getting on more with them being protected and some developments perhaps with Rick's memory as well as reintroducing Jim and Alexis. **

**Please review, I know it is really short compared to others but I'd love to know what you think about it. **


	17. Chapter 17

"Mr Castle," Gates stated as Rick opened Jim Beckett's apartment door to stare at the Captain and the two tall men who were standing behind her in complete silence. "Where's Detective Beckett?" she questioned as she stared at the pyjamas as she stared down at the pyjamas he was wearing before he moved out of the way and allowed the three cops into the apartment before he shut the door. "Mr Castle could you please go and wake your wife, we need to talk to her?" Gates asked, her voice quiet as Rick nodded silently and slowly moved down the corridor towards Kate's old bedroom, a small smile covering his face when he stood in the doorway and stared at the sleeping woman who was curled up in bed with the small elephant resting beside her.

"Kate," Rick called out as she groaned and buried her face into the pillow as he laughed and slowly moved towards the bed before sitting down beside her and running his fingers through her hair. "You need to wake up, Gates is sat in your dad's living room," he declared, laughing when she sat up and glared at him before climbing out of the bed in her pyjamas, her hand moving to her bump as she grabbed a robe and pulled it on. "She's only been here about three minutes but she wants to speak to you urgently and she has two men with her that I've never seen before," Rick explained as she sighed and slowly moved out of the bedroom as she slowly moved out of the bedroom and approached the living room as Rick followed silently.

"Captain," Kate smiled as she moved and sat down on the couch, her hands running across her bump as Rick moved to sit beside her, her hand moving to his as Gates watched them in silence. "What's going on?" the brunette questioned, glancing at the two silent men who were waiting beside her captain. They weren't cops, at least not at the precinct she worked at! She had never seen these men before and that concerned her. "Are Esposito and Ryan any further on the case sir?" Kate questioned, Rick knowing that she hadn't contacted the precinct for any news over the last two days while they were hiding out at Jim Beckett's apartment.

"Detective Beckett, Mr Castle, these men are going to protect you and also take you into a safe house until Tyson is arrested and in custody," Gates explained as she stood up and stared at the silent couple. "I know that you don't want to leave your home right now detective but my job is to keep you and your family safe until Tyson is in custody," she stated as Kate nodded, understanding why it was being done as Rick squeezed her hand. "Mr Castle, I have two protective details being sent to your daughter and your mother will be protected as well," she added.

"Wouldn't it be better if they came with us? He did threaten Alexis," Rick said quickly.

"Mr Castle, I promise your family will be protected," one of the man announced as the writer nodded slowly.

"Doctor Parish is bringing some stuff over later and then you'll go, you won't be able to contact your family or friends," Gates stated as the couple nodded slowly, knowing better than to try anything. "I will keep your daughter and mother safe," she declared.

"What about my father? Is he being protected as well?" Kate blurted out, realising he hadn't been mentioned. She knew that Alexis had been threatened and therefore Martha and Alexis would both be protected and Tyson had never threatened her father before but they were a married couple now, Jim Beckett was part of that family now and they were all at risk. "I'm not leaving him unless I know he's safe," she warned.

"He has protection too detective," Gates immediately stated before Kate relaxed, the sound of someone knocking on the door making everyone fall silent before Rick stood up and moved towards the door, opening it to see Lanie, Javier and Kevin standing in the corridor with bags in their hands. Stepping inside the apartment, the three adults smiled weakly before moving into the living room and placing the bags onto the ground and smiled weakly across at the brunette. "I should go, I wish the best of luck detective, Mr Castle," Gates stated before leaving the apartment in silence.

"How are you feeling Kate?" Lanie asked quickly as Kate shrugged, relaxing back into the corner of the couch as Lanie sat down beside Javier before glancing across at the two strangers who were standing near where Gates had been sitting earlier.

"These are our protective details until Tyson is caught," Kate explained as her three colleagues nodded before Rick leant down and pressed a kiss into her dark hair. "Where are you going?" Kate asked as he began to move away.

"To make drinks and to change out of my pyjamas," he explained as she nodded slowly and watched him walk out of the room.

"Javi, Ryan could you go and make some drinks?" Lanie asked as they nodded as well, knowing that Lanie wanted to talk to the brunette in private before the final two men excused themselves and left the living room in silence. "So how are you doing?" the ME questioned.

"We're doing okay, it's just scary Lanie," Kate admitted as her friend remained silent. "A body was in our baby's nursery, I don't think I could ever go back there now Lanie," she said quietly, her arms sneaking around her body as Lanie stared at her. "The only place that's felt like home since mom died Lanie and I don't want to go back, I don't want to go back and spend the rest of my life thinking about the women who were murdered and found in our apartment because of that bastard," she explained.

"Have you told Rick about this?" Lanie asked as Kate immediately shook her head. "Why?"

"Because that's his family home, he raised Alexis there, he loves the loft," Kate explained.

"And he loves you, Kate you need to talk to him about this," the ME insisted as Kate nodded, knowing that she didn't have a choice. "We packed you a lot of clothes, we weren't sure how long you were going to be gone for and we packed some things for the baby just in case you weren't home before this one decides to come and join us," she explained, shock covering her face when Kate burst into tears. "Kate?"

"I don't want to go, I want to stay here! I want to stay here and have my baby near my home and have my friends and family at the hospital to meet my baby," she sobbed as Lanie sighed and found her friends hand. "I might have my baby and no one would know, Alexis wouldn't be there to meet her baby brother on the day he's born, none of you would be," Kate explained, falling silent when Rick stepped into the room and stared at her in shock.

"What's wrong?" Rick asked as he knelt down in front of his wife and watched as she brushed the tears away from her face, angry at how stupid she was being. "Sweetheart, we need to go soon," Rick admitted, the words of the protection details in the corridor filling his mind as he glanced up at his wife who nodded and stood up in silence before excusing herself and walking out past Javier and Kevin before disappearing into her bedroom. "

"Look after her Rick," Lanie warned as Rick nodded, watching as Javier and Kevin slowly entered the room. Hearing another knock at the front door, Rick groaned as he stood up and walked to the front door, opening it to see his mother and Jim Beckett standing there talking to each other before turning and smiling at him.

"Richard Castle, thank you for sending me two gorgeous men, they're wonderful at carrying my shopping," Martha stated as Rick rolled his eyes, watching as the redhead quickly walked past him before Rick glanced at his father in law.

"Kate will be happy to see you," Rick admitted as Jim nodded and stepped into his apartment before four men followed him inside. "She's just getting dressed," Rick explained, falling silent when Kate walked out of the bedroom and smiled at her father before walking over and tightly wrapping her arms around the older man.

"Hey sweetheart," Jim whispered into her hair as Kate buried her face into his chest and breathed in, recognising the familiar smell of her father's aftershave. "What's with the big men in suits refusing to leave me alone?" he asked as she stared up at him, his hands brushing hair away from her face as she watched him in silence for a moment.

"Bad case, we're going into witness protection today," Kate said quietly as Jim nodded slowly, not surprised when Kate cuddled into his arms again before he glanced across at his son in law before staring down at his daughter again.

"They better catch the bastard before you pop," Jim declared before Kate laughed and nodded, stepping away before her hands moved to her bump. "Five weeks to go?"

"Yes," Kate said quietly, glancing across at Rick who nodded and smiled at her for a moment before moving towards the living room again. "Five weeks to go and this all becomes real, I'll have a screaming kicking baby in my arms soon," the brunette admitted as Jim led her towards to kitchen, separating them away from the rest of the group.

"I know that it seems like the scariest thing in the world right now but you're going to have this little baby soon and it's going to be wonderful and you're not going to be a perfect mother, no one ever is but you're going to be a wonderful mother Katie," Jim smiled as she blushed before he kissed her forehead again and smiled. "This baby is going to be so lucky to have you and Rick as parents," the older man stated as Kate smiled weakly and sighed.

"What if they don't catch him before the baby's born daddy?" Kate asked quietly.

"Then you'll be wonderful just in a different situation," Jim smiled before holding her close. "Stay safe, don't take any risks and come home to me," he whispered as she nodded and slowly leant up to kiss to his cheek before moving towards the living room where Rick was pulling on his jacket.

"Are we going now?" Kate said quietly as the writer nodded slowly. "Did you get hold of Alexis?"

"Yeah, we had a small chat and she promises that she'll stay safe and make sure she locks everything," Rick declared as Kate nodded nervously and grabbed her own jacket. "It'll be another thing to tick off the list Kate; almost frozen to death, handcuffed together in a room with a tiger, almost blown up, driven into a river and now witness protection, not the worst thing we've done," he stated as she laughed and nodded slowly. "And we've also gotten through dating, the parents first meeting and a wedding, we'll be fine."

"I'm scared," Kate said quietly as Rick nodded and leant down to kiss her, stopping before their lips touched.

"I'm scared too."

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Stepping into the small room in silence, Kate wrapped her arms around her body as she stared at the small wardrobe and double bed that was inside, the only furniture filling practically the whole room as Kate slowly sat down on the edge of the bed and glanced across at her silent husband and the main protective detail who was standing beside him.

"So this is it?" Kate said quietly as the man nodded.

"I know it's not much but you'll hardly be here Detective Beckett, the smaller the apartment also makes it easily to protect," he announced as Kate nodded, watching as Rick moved inside and rested their luggage on the bed before turning to look at the other man.

"I understand and what's your name?" she asked quickly, knowing that she should have asked earlier for his name.

"William," he said quietly before excusing himself and walking out of the room, shutting the door quickly, leaving the couple alone. Staring across at her husband, Kate watched as he slowly opened one of the cases and began to take out their clothing, hanging them into the wardrobe as she remained silent and reached into the bag for the small elephant.

"Rick, can I talk to you about something please?" Kate asked quietly as he nodded quickly, remaining focused however on the task he was doing while she moved to rest against the headboard. "Rick I think I want to move," she said quietly as confusion covered his face when he turned to face her.

"You want to move out of the loft?" the writer questioned as she nodded slowly, watching as he slowly moved towards the bed and sat down beside her. "I thought you liked the loft," Rick said questioned as she nodded slowly.

"I do, I love the loft Rick but I don't think I can live there with the memory of those women," Kate explained as he stared at her for a moment. "They were dead in our home and I don't want that to be constantly lingering on my mind," the brunette admitted as Rick took hold of her hand and slowly brought it to his lips to kiss it. "I just want us to be a family Rick; I want us to be happy with our baby and with Alexis."

"And we will be Kate, it might take a while to go back to normal but we'll be happy again," Rick said quietly before wrapping his arms around her and cuddling her close as she shut her eyes, not knowing what to say. "I'm going to get my memory back and Tyson will be caught and we'll get a new home if it's what you really want, I can't promise that'll be done before the baby's here but I'll get it done," he whispered, desperately trying to calm her as he held her in his arms as they both slowly began to fall silent. "I fell over during our first dance," he said quietly, breaking the silence as she stared up at him.

"What?" she asked quietly.

"At our wedding, I tripped over your dress and fell over," he smirked as she continued to stare at him. "You laughed at me for a minute and then helped me off the floor, not once did the smile disappear from your face though even though everyone was laughing at us," he whispered as she bit into her lip.

"You just had to be memorable," she whispered, leaning in to kiss him as he shrugged, glad to see a small smile forming on her face. "When did you remember that?" she asked quietly as he tried to remember, her smile growing as she watched him in complete silence.

"The night of our fight, I remembered but I could never find the right time to bring it up. I guess I just wanted to see you smile again," he explained as she shook her head for a moment before kissing him. "We're going to be fine Mrs Castle, I promise, we're all going to be fine and it'll be over soon," he whispered, his hand moving to her bump as hobbit began to kick.

"So this is home," Kate said quietly, glancing around the small room as they relaxed back together. "I guess it could be worse."

"It could be a lot worse- there's heating and no wild animals," he smirked as she rolled her eyes before they both laughed and she cuddled into his side, her eyes shutting slowly as he glanced down at her. "We should unpack Kate."

"No we shouldn't, let's just stay here from now on," she said quietly, remaining perfectly still as he nodded, not wanting to argue when Kate Beckett was curled up in his arms and almost asleep. "Love you Richard Castle."

"I love you too," he whispered, watching as she slowly began to fall asleep.

**And now they're in protection but will it last? What did you think? I think the next chapter might be another dramatic one, depending on what I feel like on the day but at the moment I'm working on my English Literature coursework and once again, college must take priority over fanfic. **

**Anyway please review, I love hearing from you and your comments always make me smile and want to update quicker, although I've been useless at it at the moment.**


	18. Chapter 18

"And then we quickly looked in and there this was, a huge tiger," Rick declared dramatically as Kate rolled her eyes and stared down at the writer was lying further down so he was resting near her bump, his fingers running across the bare bump from where he'd pulled her t-shirt up as she rolled her eyes and gently ran her fingers through his dark hair. "It was very scary but fortunately, we were very clever and managed not to get eaten by the very hungry tiger," the writer explained, Kate's eyes rolling as she relaxed back, allowing him to press a kiss to her abdomen before she relaxed for a moment and allowed her eyes to slowly shut. "Once again hobbit, we were fortunate and managed to survive and that was another meeting with death that we survived," he explained as Kate shook her head, unable to stop her smile from growing as Rick looked up at her. "What one should I tell hobbit next?"

"I think hobbit's had enough of knowing how close we've come to death now Castle," Kate said quietly before he leant up and kissed her quickly. "When I found out I was pregnant I was terrified for a moment," the brunette whispered as she shut her eyes and felt Rick's lips on her abdomen again. "I was sat there and I was thinking that there would be this baby coming into my perfect life and I didn't know how I was going to cope," Kate explained as he glanced up at her, not surprised that she had been nervous. "I was honestly terrified, I was terrified that everything would be disrupted again when it was so wonderful and I was happy," she declared, shaking her head for a moment as Rick continued to watch. "And then you told me that although it seemed scary, it was just another chapter of our story and it was something that was going to make our relationship greater," she smiled before Rick leant up and kissed her quickly, a laugh leaving her lips as he remained close to her.

"I'm right," he said quickly, both of them laughing as he rested on his side beside her while their hands rested on her bump. "We're going to have great fun with this chapter of our lives Kate," he explained as she nodded, glancing across at him as he stared at her in amazing. "I still can't believe that you're my wife," he admitted.

"Well you better start believing it," she declared, kissing him again before there was a knock at the door. "Come in," Kate called out, pulling down her t-shirt before she sat up and watched as William entered the room, his smile growing as he stared at the couple. "Hi," Kate said quietly, her smile growing as he nodded at the two people before sighing.

"I just came to make sure that you were okay and that you slept alright," William declared as Rick quickly nodded, his arm moving around Kate as she cuddled into his arms. "I'll leave you two alone," he explained before leaving the room and shutting the door behind him as Kate glanced across at her husband.

"Give me a second, I just want to ask Will something in private," Rick declared, gently pressing a kiss into her dark hair before climbing off the bed and quickly walking towards the door before leaving the room in silence, shutting the door behind him as Kate moved her hand to her bump. Waiting in silence, Kate watched as the door slowly opened again and Rick reappeared with a large smile covering his face.

"Good news?" she asked as he shrugged and climbed onto the bed again before kissing her. "Going to tell me?" she questioned as he shook his head again, a laugh leaving her lips as she cuddled into his side and allowed herself to relax. "Marrying you was the best thing I ever did Richard Castle and having this baby."

"Our little hobbit," he whispered as she nodded, meeting his hand on her bump before she shut her eyes. "This was the best way to ever wake up from an accident where I lost all my memory of the last two years, finding myself married to the woman of my dreams with a baby on the way. I love you Kate," he smiled as she bit into her lip and nodded.

"I love you too."

XXOOXOOXOXXOOXXO

Hearing the running water in the en-suite, Rick stared down at the two drinks he was holding before slowly tapping the door with his foot. Hearing Kate call him into the room, Rick smiled as he slowly opened the door to find his wife standing in the small bathroom in a thin robe, her smile growing as she glanced at him before undoing her tied back hair, allowing the dark locks to flow over her shoulders.

"You are so beautiful," Rick stated, kissing her quickly before she bit into her lip and took the cup of the tea into her hands before taking a sip. "I love you hair," he said quietly, brushing his fingers through her hair before she leant against him and breathed out, allowing him to keep her close before his hands slowly moved towards the belt of her robe.

"Rick," she moaned as he slowly began to undo it. "We can't Castle," she smiled against his neck as Rick stared down at her, undoing the belt before the robe slowly began to open. "Castle there are four men outside the door, we are not having sex when there is practically an audience," Kate said quickly as Rick nodded and stepped away before the brunette bit into her lip and moved her hands to the robe before pulling it off, the material dropping to her feet as shock covered the writer's face.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" he joked as she shook her head and stepped towards him, her hands moving to his shirt before unbuttoning it. "What are you doing?"

"We're married, we're having a baby, and you don't remember what I look like naked and just because I'm naked doesn't mean we're having sex, I'd love having a bath with you," she admitted, the writer nodding as she pushed his shirt off his body before their hands moved to his jeans, their smiles growing as she stared up at him. "I know it's not the same but I hope you still appreciate it," she said quietly as his hands moved to her hips.

"Kate, you are gorgeous, pregnant or not," Rick declared as she blushed. "You're still the extraordinary woman I first met years ago Katherine Houghton Castle," he explained, removing his jeans and boxers before stepping into the bath before Kate followed and relaxed back against him. "We're going to have so many stories to tell our children."

"Children Rick?" Kate questioned.

"Definitely, we're going to have a huge family Kate. So many children, so much life and excitement," he declared as she laughed and nodded. "Hobbit and then hobbit will need a sibling and then we'll have another two because we can and we'll have Alexis, it's going to be amazing."

"You want three more children?" she asked as he nodded again, her laugh leaving her lips before she shut her eyes and allowed herself to relax into his hold. "Rick, if you want three more children we need to get a move on because I am not getting any younger."

"Well you look surprisingly sexy for someone of your old age," he teased, her eyes rolling before she shook her head and sighed. "Witness protection isn't that bad if you're here Kate, I don't think it would be the same without you."

"Well I'm not planning on going anywhere Rick, I couldn't get far if I tried anyway, not with this one around," she joked as they glanced down at her abdomen and smiled. "And I agree Rick; witness protection isn't bad if you're here too."

**Little filler chapter that's kind of pointless but I thought I'd get it in there to give you an update and to pass some time and show a development in their relationship and then we'll probably have another fluffy chapter and then we'll be back to the drama with Tyson. **

**Please update, I know it's pointless but if you'd like to give any suggestions for anything you'd like to see do tell me, I like hearing from you and your comments are so amazing. I will probably try and update before the weekend and then I have a week off next week so they'll be loads of updates! **


	19. Chapter 19

"Rick, we're in witness protection, why are you covering my eyes?" Kate moaned as the writer led her out of the bedroom slowly, his smile growing as Kate laughed and followed his lead. He'd been working on this since the day they'd arrived and now a week later everything was ready. "Rick," Kate smiled when he stopped and glanced across at William who nodded and silently left, his hands slowly moving away from her face as she kept her eyes shut like she'd instructed earlier. Moving his hand to the small of her back, Rick slowly pressed a kiss into her hair before she laughed and opened her eyes, shock covering her face as she glanced in front of her before looking up at her husband. "I know we didn't have time for a proper one," he whispered.

"You managed to throw a baby shower while we're in witness protection?" she asked in shock as he nodded and watched her step towards the collection of wrapped presents that covered the kitchen table. "This is what all the whispering has been about," she laughed before shaking her head and running her fingers across the gifts, her smile growing as she looked at them before glancing across at Rick in amazement. He never failed to surprise her, she had to admit that! He always managed to do something more amazing every time. "This is wonderful," she stated, leaning across to kiss him quickly before she sat down and laughed to herself again, her hand moving to her bump as she slowly fell silent.

"I know it's not the same as having everyone here and there being a huge celebration but at least we can say you had some sort of shower before hobbit arrived," Rick admitted, knowing that hadn't been the baby shower he'd been originally planning. He'd wanted a big party with all their friends and family to celebrate that they were having a baby, he wanted to give Kate the party they never had the time to organise as the proper married couple they'd been before his accident and now that Tyson had reappeared all his plans had been destroyed. "I just want this to at least be in some way normal."

"It's perfect," Kate smiled before biting into her lip. "Can I open them?" she asked, glancing at the presents as Rick laughed and nodded quickly, watching as Kate grasped hold of the smallest gift in front of them.

"Why do you always go for the smallest?" he moaned as she shrugged.

"I guess the smallest always seem to be the most precious Rick," she said quietly as she removed the paper and stared at the small outfit. "Oh Rick," Kate sighed, brushing her fingers across the pale yellow material as she took in the giraffes, elephants and monkeys that decorated it. "It's perfect," she said quietly, tears silently running down her cheeks as Rick stared at her briefly before moving towards her and cuddling her into his arms. "We should be enjoying this, savouring our last few weeks before this screaming child enter our lives and needs us twenty four seven," she whispered as he nodded, his face burying into her weak cherry scented hair. "Before we become parents Rick."

"Kate, we are savouring it. We might not be at home with our family and friends but we're together, we have each other and we spend every night completely naked in the bath and we just talk," he explained as she nodded slowly. "Tyson may have forced us out of our homes and away from everyone we love and trust but we're still us, we're still married with this baby on the way and we're still in love with each other," he insisted as she nodded, smiling weakly as he quickly pressed a kiss to her lips before brushing her tears away with his thumb. "No more tears, you and I are at our baby shower and you have lots of presents to open," he laughed, her head nodding before he kissed her again and grabbed another present, bringing it towards her as she slowly began to relax into his arms.

"How did you get all of these?" she suddenly questioned, glancing at the gifts as he remained silent.

"William, I couldn't have done it without his help. I asked him if it was possible, he said he'd try and well, I gave him a list and a couple of days later everything was here," Rick explained as she nodded, removing the paper off the gift before smiling down at a selection of children's books.

"Richard Castle, you never stop amazing me," she admitted before kissing him quickly and smiling, her fingers running across the spine of each book as she sighed. Everything was going to be fine! No one could hurt them, they were protected and they had each other! They were safe!

XOOXOXOXOXOXO

"Mr and Mrs Castle, I need you to pack your belongings, we're leaving," William ordered, entering the bedroom for the first time without knocking as the couple sat up and stared at him in confusion, shock covering their faces when he grabbed their bags and began to throw their minimal belongings into them. "When I said we're leaving, we're leaving now," he insisted, the couple quickly moving off the bed before Kate grasped her bag and began to throw her clothes inside as well as the small items of baby clothing she'd received that day.

"What's going on?" Rick questioned, the panic obvious in his voice as he glanced at the other man who was standing silently in the corner of the room watching them. They weren't going to fight him on this, they could see the urgency on his face as he stared at them and that terrified Rick. "What's happened? It's something to do with Tyson," Rick pursued, wanting answers as he pulled his jacket on and glanced across at his wife who was still throwing items into her bags.

"Mrs Castle, Mr Castle, we need to leave, now!" William declared, storming out of the room as Kate lifted her bag up and placed it on her shoulder, her hand moving to her bump as Rick grabbed the other two and moved towards her.

"It's Tyson, something's scared them," Kate whispered as he nodded and kissed her quickly. "What if he's hurt someone? What if he's killed someone else Rick?" she panicked, his head shaking as he forced a smile onto his face and led her out of the room, desperately trying to keep her calm.

"Kate, I'm sure it's just a precaution, everything's going to be fine," he promised, the woman nodding as she glanced across at the four smartly dressed men who were staring at them in complete silence. These men were protecting them, they were protecting her unborn child, she couldn't argue with their plan or fight them, and she needed to follow orders this time! "What's going on?" Rick blurted out, watching as William stepped forward and took the bag from Kate, smiling gently at her as she moved towards her husband. "Please, just tell us."

"Mr Castle, we have received information that reveals that Tyson has discovered our location," William stated quietly, almost silently, as shock covered Rick's face. How had that happened? He hadn't used cards to purchase the presents but instead cash Rick had brought with him, they hadn't left the apartment since they arrived the previous week and neither of them had contacted their family. "We need to go."

"How did he find our location? We've been careful," Kate blurted out, desperate to know as Rick glanced across at her, knowing that he needed the answer too.

"We believe he killed one of our men and took his position and got the information that way," William admitted as confusion covered the writer's face, both him and Kate noticing the nervous look that was covering his face. William, the man they both trusted, wasn't telling them something for the first time since they'd arrived. "Mr and Mrs Castle, we need to leave now," he declared.

"Not until you tell us what you're hiding," Kate demanded, Rick groaning as he realised he was split. He wanted to know what was going on but he also desperately wanted to get his heavily pregnant wife away from where Tyson was presumably heading. "You've been honest with us since we got here, don't start hiding things from us now," the brunette whispered as William glanced down at his feet before sighing.

"Mr and Mrs…" he began before shutting his eyes for a second. "He killed one of the men protecting your daughter Mr Castle, he's taken her hostage," he admitted, Kate watching as her husband quickly fell into a seat while silence filled the small apartment.

Jerry Tyson, the serial killer, now had Alexis!

**Short and not really sweet but hopefully you review and let me know what you think! I hope to update again by the weekend. **


	20. Chapter 20

It felt like someone had taken his heart and stamped on it a million times, the idea of his little girl being kidnapped by the bastard who wanted him dead. Alexis, his beautiful daughter had been taken by Tyson and he had no idea where she was or how to find her or what to do. Did he go and find his daughter or did he stay with his heavily pregnant wife who could go into labour at any moment now? Did he take Kate with him, stay with her or leave her to chase Tyson and to save his daughter? Feeling Kate's hand rest on his shoulder, he slowly looked up to see a nervous look covering her face as he forced a small smile onto his own.

"Rick," Kate whispered, not knowing what to say as he shook his head and moved her hand to her heavily pregnant abdomen. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she said quietly, his face resting against her bump as she held him close for a moment before pressing a kiss into her dark hair. "What are you thinking Rick?" she said quietly as he shrugged, not knowing what to say as she held him close for a moment before leaning down and pressing a kiss into his hair, his eyes shutting as she remained close to him, wanting to provide some sort of comfort to her husband. She knew he was confused about what to do and she knew she couldn't force him to make a decision; he needed to do what was best for them and for Alexis.

"She's my little girl Kate, she's my beautiful daughter," Rick said quietly as she nodded. "Kate what do I do? What do I do?" he asked, desperate for her advice as she shook her head. She couldn't force him to make a decision, it was his choice and she would support him no matter what. "I want to go after him, I want to find my daughter and I want to make sure he can never hurt us again but Kate, I can't just leave you like this," he whispered before she gently leant down and kissed him.

"If you go, I go. We find her together," Kate announced as he shook his head, his fingers running across her abdomen as she stared down at her stomach. "Rick, she's_ our_ daughter. She might not be mine biologically but she is mine," she declared as Rick bit into his lip for a moment before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to her abdomen over her t-shirt. "You need to do what's best for Alexis and for you but I'm coming with you, whatever you choose," the brunette explained, brushing her fingers through his hair as Rick glanced across at the anxious looking William who was now glancing down at his watch.

"Mr and Mrs Castle," William declared, looking across at them as Kate bit into her lip.

"Rick you need to make a choice now," Kate begged, pressing another kiss into his hair as they both fell silent. "I don't want to rush you but you need to make a choice now and I don't care what it is because I'm going to support you."

"I'm going after Alexis," Rick stated as she nodded, not surprised as he stood up and wrapped his arms around her body for a moment. "But I want you to go with them Kate," he said quietly, glancing across at the men who had been protecting them as she quickly shook her head. "I'm not risking another one of my children and I'm not risking my wife either," he declared as she continued to shake her head for a moment. "Please, I know you want to be there for me but I need you to be safe Kate, I'm not risking two more people that I love."

"You need me Rick, you'll need me for this. Please don't make me stay on my own," she said quietly as he brushed his fingers across her cheek before kissing her. "What happens if I go into labour and you're not here? What happens if I have the baby without you? What happens if you need me?" she panicked, his arms wrapping tightly around her body as she remained close to him and buried her face into his shoulder. "I can't do this without you," she whispered, panic covering her face. "Please, we're partners, we need to stick together."

"Yes and sometimes we need to split up and I'm begging you Kate because I can't risk losing you, Alexis and our baby," he begged, tears appearing in their eyes as they stared at each other. "Kate I want you to get in the car and go wherever they take you and I want you to stay safe," he declared as she shook her head, clinging onto his hand as he smiled. What had happened to her agreeing to whatever he wanted to do? That idea had now completely vanished and the fear of being alone was starting to take over. She wanted to be near him, to be with him wherever they went. "Please, I need you to stop being a detective and to start being my wife and our children's mother; I need you to stay safe Kate because he wants us dead."

"And that's why you need me with you Castle," she insisted before he smiled weakly and stared at her. "We do our best work together, we always have and you can't just leave me now."

"I know but this time it's not just us, it's about our children too, it's about Alexis and hobbit now Kate."

"He wants to kill you," Kate whispered.

"But that might be his weakness Kate, that might be what finally leads to us catching him and ending this forever," he announced as she turned her head to see William staring at his watch again. "When hobbit's born and old enough to fly we'll finally take that holiday to England that you always wanted," he said quietly as she smiled to herself, taking in the newest thing that he'd remembered. "We'll go to Cornwall and we'll enjoy the beach and see all those places you've been reading about whenever you get fed up New York," he promised as she smiled to herself for a moment before kissing him again. "You, me, hobbit and Alexis," Rick declared, kissing her quickly before she moved her arms around his neck and shut her eyes, not wanting to let go as he held her briefly. "Stay safe, keep hobbit safe and we'll see you again."

"I love you," Kate whispered as she slowly stepped away and moved towards the four men.

"I love you so much Kate," the writer declared, watching as she slowly walked out of the room with the other men, his eyes shutting for a moment as he took in the fact that his heavily pregnant wife had just left for an unknown location.

XOOXOXOXOXXO

Entering the precinct in silence, Rick watched as Javier and Kevin looked up at him in shock before he sat down and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Castle what are you doing here? Where's Beckett?" Ryan asked as Rick quickly stood up again and moved towards the murder board, his heart feeling like it had been stabbed as he stared at the smiling image of his daughter that was on the board. His beautiful, clever, innocent daughter was now on the murder board as a victim. "Castle?"

"She's still in witness protection," he explained quietly. "How is the case? Have you found anything new? Tell me about when they realised that Alexis was gone," Rick declared, wanting to know all the information that he was lacking as he moved towards his seat again, not knowing what else to say. "I need to know."

"They found the body of one of the men stuffed into a wardrobe and then they realised that she was gone," Esposito explained as Rick shut his eyes for a moment. "We haven't found anything new since that night," he said quietly, ashamed that they had nothing positive to tell the nervous father and their friend. Alexis was their friend too and it was scaring them all, the concept of the young and vibrant redhead being danger because of a case they'd been working on, because of Jerry Tyson. "How did Beckett take the news of you leaving witness protection?" he asked.

"She wanted to come with me for a moment but I didn't want her and hobbit here," Rick explained before staring up at the image of his daughter again. His beautiful daughter was in danger and he didn't know what to do to keep her safe! Hearing his cell phone ring, Rick immediately grabbed it before staring at the unknown caller that was flashing up on the screen, panic filling his veins as he stared across at the two cops who were watching him in silence as he slowly answered. "Castle," he said quietly.

"Mr Castle," the familiar voice of Tyson stated as the colour drained from his face quickly.

"Where's my daughter?" Rick immediately questioned. "Is my daughter okay? I want to talk to her, I want to know that she's okay," he announced, his desperation obvious as Tyson laughed. "I want to talk to my daughter Tyson," he declared before the phone went silent. "Tyson, I want to talk to Alexis."

"Daddy," Alexis' nervous voice sobbed down the phone as he shut his eyes, desperately wanting to find her and hold her and keep her safe. "Daddy I want to go home now," she cried as Rick felt the tears run down his cheeks at the sound of his daughter's terrified voice. Hearing a scream, Rick quickly began to shout her name before he heard Tyson laugh.

"She's fine Richard," he laughed as Rick fell silent. "But I don't know how much longer she'll stay safe for," he practically smiled down the phone as Rick began to feel more and more sick. "She's such a beautiful young woman Richard."

"Leave her alone Tyson, just leave her alone," Rick warned, desperate to have his daughter back. "If you hurt her, I will kill you."

"And what will Kate think about that?" he asked as Rick fell silent, not wanting to discuss Kate with him. "I have people with her Richard, if you try and do something stupid, I'll have one of those men do something that you'll never forget," he declared as Rick bit into his lip. He'd left his wife with four men, one of whom was probably working for Tyson. "She's safe at the moment Richard but I warn you that if you do something stupid I will have her as well," he declared as Rick nodded, knowing he had no choice but to agree. "Did you know that she cried to whole way to the new safe house?" Tyson declared, almost laughing as Rick opened Kate's drawer to see the image of him and her on their wedding day that she kept there. "She didn't do it loudly but he could tell she was crying because you'd left her all alone, your wife Rick, you left her all alone when I'm around and she's going to pop any day soon isn't she?" he teased as Rick stared at the smiling Kate in the photograph.

"Don't hurt them, please don't hurt them," Rick begged, hating how weak he sounded when he realised he had no choice. Tyson had his daughter and he practically had his wife as well, he had no choice but to agree.

"I'll give you a choice Rick," he announced as the writer remained silent. "Your wife and baby or your daughter," he stated.

"What?"

"Your choice Richard," he declared before hanging up, the writer remaining silent as he cradled the phone.

**And the drama continues… **

**Hopefully you enjoy in some bizarre way and review, I love hearing from you and your reviews motivate me to write the next chapter so please, let me know all your comments. **


	21. Chapter 21

Taking a sip of the cold liquid, Rick groaned as he rested the empty glass on the bedside table and stared at the photo album he'd collected when he'd entered the loft again. Turning the page, Rick stared at the image of his wife and daughter on the beach, his fingers running across both their beaming faces as he felt the tears slowly move down his cheeks. His wife and baby or his daughter? How was he supposed to choose who got away safely and who was injured by the bastard? Grabbing the bottle of whiskey, Rick quickly poured himself another one before drinking the cold liquid, his eyes shutting as he realised he was being stupid, drinking away his feelings. He needed to think about how to get everyone out safely, he needed to think of a way of keeping his wife safe and his daughter alive. His beautiful little girl, the redhead he'd brought up practically alone. He couldn't let either of them get hurt, or the unborn baby that Kate was heavily pregnant with. Hearing his cell phone ring loudly, Rick quickly grabbed it before answering it, not even looking at the caller ID as he breathed out.

"Hello?" he said quietly, desperate for it not to be Tyson with his need for the answer to his choice.

"Castle," Ryan declared. "We tracked the location of Tyson's last call to you, he's starting to make mistakes Castle," he stated, his enthusiasm obvious as Rick stared down at the image of his wife and daughter again. Was it really that easy? Was it really that easy to rescue his daughter and find Tyson and end everything? Tyson didn't make mistakes like that, he wasn't stupid like that. He was cold and calculating and he knew exactly how not to get caught so why had he made it so easy? "We're going to the location now; do you want to come with us?" Ryan asked as Rick stood up and nodded, glancing across at the whiskey he'd drunk. He was fine, he hadn't had enough to drink and he wanted to be there when they found his daughter. Grabbing his jacket and keys as he walked out of the room, Rick stared down at his wedding ring before breathing out. No way was it this easy! It couldn't be this easy.

XOOXOXOXOOX

Sitting in the small bed in the new location, Kate stared down at her abdomen before sighing and relaxing, her eyes shutting as she tried not to think about her husband. She missed him, she wanted him back but she knew he need to do what was best for Alexis as well. Their family wasn't just about her and Rick and their unborn child but also about his daughter, the young woman that she loved as well. Running her fingers across her abdomen, Kate smiled to herself as she thought about holding her baby for the first time, seeing who their child looked like the most and becoming a mom for the first time. She wanted to hold her baby and she wanted to see Rick again, she wanted her husband to hold her hand while she gave birth. She needed him back; she wanted to be selfish for once. She just wanted him back with her again!

"Mrs Castle," William's voice said quietly as he opened the door and smiled at her as she slowly opened her eyes and glanced at him. "I just came to see how you were," he admitted as she nodded, her hand running across her stomach as she slowly sat up. "How's the baby?"

"Kicking like mad since Rick left," she laughed as he nodded in silence. "Have you heard anything from Rick?" she asked quietly as he shook his head, her eyes shutting slowly as she realised that it was unlikely that Rick would try and get into contact. "Have you heard anything new about Alexis? Do they know anything about where she might be?" she asked, desperate to know if the young woman was safe so they could return to their family life. She was supposed to be preparing for a baby, not separated from her husband and terrified for her step-daughter's safety.

"I'm sure she's safe Mrs Castle," William declared as Kate nodded slowly. "I'll make you something to eat, need to keep your strength up" he announced, standing before he excused himself and left the room, shutting the door behind him as she shut her eyes and relaxed back. God, she wanted her husband back again!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Pulling his vest on over his shirt, Rick stared down at it before looking at the building in front of him. His daughter might be in there! His beautiful little girl might be in there and he was going to rescue her. He was going to save his daughter and never let her go again. He was going to keep her safe. Following Javier and Kevin in silence, Rick watched as they held onto their guns tightly and stepped into the dark building.

"Don't do anything stupid Castle," Esposito warned as Rick nodded, knowing not to make any rash decisions as he followed them, other cops running in behind them before disappearing to search the various rooms in the dark building. Hearing the familiar word 'clear' echo around the building, Rick sighed as he shut his eyes. She wasn't here! Alexis wasn't here.

"Castle," a man's voice called out loudly as Rick quickly ran towards the voice, panic covering his face as he entered the room to see a cop knelt down beside his daughter untying the ropes that were around her ankles and wrists.

"Alexis," Rick shouted, running towards the redhead as she stood up shakily and allowed her father to tightly wrap his arms around her. "Thank god you're okay, thank god," he said quietly, pressing a kiss to her forehead as she began to sob. "You're safe pumpkin, you're safe and I'm never going to let anyone hurt you again," he promised, tears running down her face as she buried her face into her father's chest as Ryan and Esposito entered the room. "She's okay," Rick called out to his friends as he moved to turn at them, the sound of a shot ringing out making everyone fall silent before Rick heard a small groan, his body turning before he quickly caught Alexis as she began to fall.

"Daddy," she sobbed as he stared down at the blood that was beginning to appear from underneath her white shirt, his hand quickly pressing down as he shook his head; the sound of Ryan and Esposito wrestling a man to the ground behind him unnoticeable as he stared at his daughter. "Daddy," she whispered.

"You're going to be alright baby, you're going to be alright, just keep talking to me pumpkin," he said quietly, trying not to cry as he held her close, tears running down his face as he stared at her.

"We need an ambulance now," Ryan's voice shouted down the cell phone as Rick continued to press down on his daughter's wound, trying to keep her alive.

"Talk to me Lex," Rick begged as her eyes slowly began to shut. He couldn't lose her. He couldn't lose his little girl. He didn't make that choice.

XOXOOXXOXO

Lying in her bed in the darkness, Kate shut her eyes as she attempted desperately to try and sleep. She wanted to go home; she wanted to have her baby and go home and be with her family. Hearing footsteps outside her door, Kate remained silent as she heard the door creak open before she shut her eyes tightly. This never happened. William always knocked and the other men never came near her, they remained silent and out of the way. Hearing the door open further, Kate quickly reached down for the gun she kept under a scarf on the bedside table before hiding it underneath the duvet and shutting her eyes again. Hearing the footsteps move closer towards her, the brunette remained still as she heard someone breathing near her.

"Tyson says hello detective," an unfamiliar voice said quietly.

"What do you think you're doing?" William's familiar voice declared before two shots quickly rang out at almost the same moment.

**The next chapter will explain everything more; the two events that ended up with Alexis being shot and perhaps even Kate being shot. Anyway, please review. I know this chapter sees a bit odd because of the whole being easy to find Alexis but it will all be explained in the next chapter so hopefully you enjoy it. **


	22. Chapter 22

Running her hand to her stomach quickly, Kate gasped as she realised that she was okay. They were both okay. She was alive and her baby was safe, her baby was perfectly fine. Glancing up from her stomach slowly, Kate bit into her lip as she noticed the two men who were now lying on her floor, panic covering her face as she stood up and moved towards the man who had tried to shoot her. This man had wanted to kill her and her baby! Removing the gun from his hand, Kate placed it away from him before she glanced down at him. This man was supposed to have been protecting her! Shaking her head, Kate quickly moved towards William, moving to her knees as she immediately pressed her hands to the stomach wound.

"William, talk to me," she declared, the younger man staring up at her in fear as she forced a smile onto her face and held him close for a moment. "Come on Will, talk to me," Kate said quietly, desperate for him to stay awake. She wasn't going to lose him too! She wasn't going to lose another person to another stupid case and she was definitely not going to lose the one person who had cared for her while she'd been gone. "Come on, tell me about yourself. Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Melanie," he moaned as she pressed a hand harder onto the wound.

"Do you have a phone?" Kate quickly asked as he nodded, his own hand shakily moving to his pocket as she watched him remove the black cell phone. "What's Melanie like Will?" she asked, taking the mobile from him before dialling for an ambulance, stating all the facts before glancing down at the man. "Where are we?" she asked desperately, the man stating the address before she repeated down the phone and hung up, pressing her hand quickly to the wound again. "Come on Will, what's she like?"

"Perfect," he whispered as she nodded. "We've been together since high school," he admitted as he began to shut his eyes, clearly beginning to give up the fight.

"Open your eyes William," she begged as they remained closed. "Come on, keep telling me about Melanie," she insisted, watching him silence as he remained still. "William wake up please," she ordered, pressing down harder on his stomach wound as she stared at him. "Come on tell me about her."

"I'm going to marry her," William yawned, his eyes remaining shut as she smiled gently.

"You need to stay awake for that," Kate declared as he groaned, the sound of approaching smiles making her breathe out loudly. "The ambulance is here, you're going to be alright Will, you've just got to stay awake for me and for her."

"Hurts," he whispered.

"I know," Kate said quietly. "I understand, I was shot and I survived," the brunette explained as he slowly opened his eyes and stared at her. "I was shot and I nearly died but I'm still here and I married the man I loved and am having a baby, you'll be fine William I promise and you'll marry her Will," she declared, the sounds or footsteps and a door getting knocked in making her smile before four men ran into the room, two kneeling down beside William as she moved away, allowing them to work on the man as she attempted to stand, a groan leaving her lips when she felt a sudden jolt of pain. "God," she moaned as she ran her hands across her stomach, noticing that one of the ambulance staff was looking at her. "I'm fine," she admitted before sitting on the edge of her bed, remaining silent as she watched them work on the man who'd saved her life.

XOOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Climbing out of the ambulance with his daughter, Rick continued to stare down at the unconscious redhead who was being rushed out of the ambulance. Hearing another ambulance move in, Rick watched as the doors opened on the other vehicle and Kate stepped out.

"Kate," Rick called out as she turned to look at him in silence before walking over and tightly wrapping her arms around his neck before burying her face into his neck. "God I missed you Kate," he admitted before she looked up and glanced at the stretcher that was being brought into the hospital, the sight of red hair shocking her.

"Is that Alexis?" Kate questioned as he nodded slowly. "What happened?"

"He shot her Kate, I had her in my arms and he shot her," he admitted, her arms wrapping around him again before he glanced across at the stretcher that was being removed from the ambulance she'd arrived in. "Is that William?" he asked as she nodded, allowing him to lead her into the hospital as she stared back at the stretcher.

"He was shot trying to protect me," Kate declared as Rick kept her close, not wanting to let her go as she glanced across at the other man, a groan leaving her lips when she felt another jolt of pain in her abdomen.

"Are you okay?" he asked quickly in panic, following Alexis and the doctors with her as she nodded and smiled at him for a moment. "She was in my arms Kate, I was holding her and he shot her," Rick explained as Kate stared up at him, almost seeing the tears in his eyes as she remained close to him and watched as Alexis was rushed into a room. "What's going on?" Rick asked a passing doctor.

"We're taking her into surgery now Mr Castle," he said simply before Kate stepped forward to talk to the doctor as well.

"Do you know what's happened to the other gunshot victim?" Kate asked as he stared at her for a moment. "William, he came in with me," she announced.

"He's in surgery as well," the doctor explained before he quickly entered the room Alexis had been taken into. Sitting down in a nearby chair, Rick ran his fingers through his hair before breathing out and shutting her eyes. His little girl was in surgery and there was nothing he could do now to protect her.

"Come and sit with me," Rick said quietly, watching as Kate moved towards him before sitting down and grabbing hold of his hand. "What happened where you were?" he questioned.

"I was in bed and I heard footsteps outside the door, one of the men came in and he had a gun and was about to shoot me when William came in," she admitted as Rick nodded. "He turned to face Will and shot him just as Will shot him," Kate declared as she shook her head. "What happened with Alexis?"

"We found her location, Tyson wasn't there and we were clearing the building when someone found Alexis," Rick stated as she nodded slowly. "I went to her and I was holding her and suddenly a shot rang out," the writer admitted quickly as he shut his eyes for a moment, not wanting to think about anything else. "It was Tyson, he was dressed in a cop's uniform, and he hid until we all entered the building and he shot her Kate and he just laughed when Esposito and Ryan took him away" he declared, not knowing what to say. "He shot my daughter Kate, he shot Alexis."

"She'll be okay Rick," Kate said quietly, leaning across to kiss him quickly before pulling away and brushing her fingers through his hair. "She's a fighter, she'll fight this whole thing."

"Kate, he took my daughter. He kidnapped my daughter, I'm supposed to protect her and I failed… again," Rick announced as she glanced across at him.

"You remember?" she asked.

"I'm supposed to protect her and I almost lost her once Kate and now she's in surgery with a gunshot wound because I couldn't save her again," he announced, standing up in frustration before Kate groaned again, her hand running across her stomach before she breathed out, waiting for the pain to slowly stop. "Kate?" Rick asked as he approached her and knelt down in front of her.

"I'm fine, I promise," she lied before kissing him quickly and brushing her fingers across his cheek. "I missed you," Kate said quietly as he smiled at her and nodded.

"I missed you too," he declared, leaning up to kiss her before he moved and took the seat beside her again. "What if she doesn't make it Kate? What if she…" he began before Kate shook her head and held him close.

"She's a fighter Rick, she'll be okay," Kate whispered, desperately hoping that it was true because she knew Richard Castle would never be the same with Alexis gone.

**What do you think? The next chapter will go into more detail and we'll learn a lot more about what Tyson did. **

**Please review, I love hearing from you, it's amazing to know what you think about the chapters and any ideas you have. **


	23. Chapter 23

"Kate?" Martha asked quietly as she pushed open the bathroom door and heard someone groaning from within one of the cubicles. She'd arrived at the hospital around ten minutes ago and Rick had sent her into the bathroom to check on his wife who had been gone a while. "Kate darling," the redhead called out quickly, waiting desperately for a response as she heard the door open and Kate stepped out with her hands running across her abdomen. "How long have you been having contractions?" she questioned as Kate glanced across at her.

"Around three hours, they're closer together now though. About five ten minutes apart now, I haven't really been timing that well," she moaned as she rested against the wall before Martha smiled at her daughter in-law who was desperately trying to calm her breathing. "Rick doesn't want to leave Alexis though and this baby has the worst timing ever and I don't know whether I'm ready and we should be here for Alexis," she blurted out as Martha rested her hand on the small of Kate's back before leading the brunette away from the wall and out of the room, a smile covering Rick's face as he stood up and glanced at her in silence before laughing and shaking his head..

"So you going to admit you're in labour now detective?" he asked as Kate nodded and smiled at him, her hand grabbing his as he knelt down in front of her. "Come on, let's get you to maternity before you end up having our baby here," the writer smiled as she shook her head for a moment before he brushed his fingers across her cheek and kissed her forehead. "We need to go to maternity now Kate, no arguments."

"What if Alexis wakes up while we're gone or there's a complication in surgery?" Kate said quietly, her concern obvious as Rick remained silent for a moment. "She needs you Rick," Kate whispered, knowing that part of him wanted to stay where he was.

"And you need me too," Rick stated, her hand nodding slowly. She didn't want to have the baby without him there.

"I'll stay here and I'll call you if anything happens but Kate, this baby isn't going to wait," Martha announced as Kate smiled at the older woman before nodding and standing up, knowing that she had no choice as Rick's arm moved around her body while she remained silent and relaxed into his side, the writer quickly leading her down the corridor in silence.

"We're having a baby Kate," he whispered to her as she nodded, smiling to herself as she moved her hand to her stomach again. This was real now! She was really having this baby and she was having it now! "You feeling okay? Nervous?" he asked as they approached the elevator, her head nodding as she stepped into the metal box and smiled to him.

"If you need to stay with Alexis…" she began.

"If I missed the birth of her brother or sister she would hurt me Kate, you know that," Rick stated as she smiled and nodded. "She's going to be okay, you can stop worrying about her and start worrying about yourself and about hobbit," he declared, kissing her quickly before the doors opened and he led her out of the enclosed space towards the ward, her smile growing as she glanced up at him.

"I bet it's a boy," she said quietly as he led her towards the desk, his smile growing as he ran his hand across her bump.

"I bet it's a girl, I'm very good at bringing up girls," the writer admitted before she kissed him quickly before groaning. "Okay, you are definitely in labour detective," he declared as she laughed, a nurse quickly walking towards them while Kate brushed her hands across her abdomen again. Following the nurse towards one of the beds, Kate breathed out as she kept her hands on her abdomen and slowly sat down.

"How far apart are your contractions Mrs…?" the nurse began as Kate glanced across at Rick who had just started saying 'Detective'.

"Mrs Castle, Mrs Kate Castle," Kate stated as the older woman nodded at her and smiled. "They're about five or ten minutes apart, I haven't been timing them very well," the brunette explained as she grabbed Rick's hand and smiled up at him as he moved to sit down beside her.

"Well we'll get you a doctor Mrs Castle and we'll get you a robe," the nurse explained before Kate nodded, watching as the woman disappeared for a moment and reappeared with a robe. "I'll leave you to get dressed."

"Thank you," Kate smiled, the curtain being pulled around the bed before she smiled and began to undo her blood covered t-shirt. "I hadn't noticed it," she said quietly as she removed it and stared at her husband.

"They'll probably want that later," he declared as she nodded again and rested it on the bed, slowly removing her pyjama pants before slipping on the robe. "You look sexy," he teased as she glared across at him before laughing and relaxing back, groaning again as she felt the pain run through her abdomen again. "How long have you been in labour?" he asked.

"Since William was shot," she said quietly as he shook his head. "It's gone quite fast actually, I didn't think it would be this fast and with Alexis…" she began, falling silent when he moved to sit on the bed before sitting behind her and allowing her to lean back against him. "I wish hobbit would slow down."

"She wants to meet her mommy," he teased as she rolled her eyes before her fingers linked with his.

"He wants to meet his parents and his sister," Kate declared simply before shutting her eyes. "I can't wait to hold hobbit for the first time," she admitted as Rick nodded. "I have nothing with him; all the baby clothes are at the loft or in witness protection. I didn't grab the bag," she stated as he nodded, digging his cell phone out of his pocket before sending a quick text to Lanie. "Who was that too?"

"Lanie, she can get some clothes for you and the baby and can tell the boys as well," he explained as she nodded and stared at the curtain around the bed. "We're having our baby Kate, we're having our baby."

"Yeah we are," she smiled, kissing him quickly before the curtain was pulled open and the doctor entered the room with the nurse following him in silence.

"Right, let's see how close we are to this baby entering the world," the doctor declared.

XOXOXOXXOXOXO

"One more push Kate, one big push and then your baby will be here," the doctor insisted as Kate clutched onto Rick's hand and began to push, desperate to get her baby out as she squeezed Rick's hand and felt him squeeze back slightly. He was supporting her like always. Hearing a loud cry, Kate gasped as she looked across and saw the doctor lift up the screaming baby before staring at her and passing her the baby, a laugh leaving her lips as she held the new born to her body and breathed out. "Congratulations, you have a son," he smiled as Rick glanced down at his wife and baby, tears running down her face as she continued to stare at him.

"We have a son Rick," Kate sobbed as Rick nodded and ran his fingers across the small baby's head before laughing. He loved the small human already. "Oh god, he's actually here. We actually have a baby Castle," she laughed as Rick nodded.

"Want to cut the cord dad?" the doctor asked as Rick nodded, cutting the cord in amazement before the nurse moved towards her and took the screaming baby as Rick smiled down at the brunette who was glancing across at where their son had been taken.

"We have a son Kate, we actually have a child together Beckett," Rick said quietly as he nodded, leaning down to kiss her quickly as she smiled against his lips. "We'll need to think of a name later," he stated as she nodded slowly, her eyes shutting slowly as he continued to smile at her. "Just think now Katie, we have a little boy now," he whispered as her eyes remained shut.

"I was right about hobbit being a boy," Kate smiled as he nodded, her eyes opening again before she kissed him. "You should call Martha, see how Alexis is doing. Tell her that she has a grandson," she declared as he nodded quickly and moved towards the door, turning to look at her for a moment before smiling and walking out of the room. Standing in the corridor, Rick sighed as he dialled his mother's number before smiling to himself and holding the cell phone against his ear.

"Hello? Richard?" Martha quickly asked as Rick smiled.

"Congratulations, you have a healthy grandson mother," he declared before his mother laughed down the line.

"Thank god and how's Kate doing?" Martha immediately questioned as Rick sat down for a moment.

"She's doing really well, she's having a bit of a rest at the moment," Rick explained as Martha hummed in agreement. "How's Alexis? Any news yet?" he asked quietly, the happiness gone from his voice as he waited desperately for news on his other child.

"She's in recovery, the operation went well and the doctor thinks she'll recover well," Martha stated as Rick breathed out and smiled, glad to hear that his daughter was doing okay. "She's still unconscious," she said quietly before Rick nodded, understanding that from the time Kate had been shot. Hearing a door open behind him, Rick turned to see the nurse walking out of the room. "Ryan, Esposito and Lanie are down here," Martha added after a moment of silence.

"Good, tell them that we have a healthy little boy and they'll see him soon and can you call Jim?" he declared.

"Already did, he's on his way but he had to finish a meeting first," Martha explained as Rick nodded and smiled. "I'll see you again three soon," the redhead stated before Rick said goodbye and hung up, moving into the room again to see Kate sat up in the bed with their son in her arms, the small boy swaddled in a pale blue blanket.

"He has your eyes," Kate said quickly as he approached the bed and sat down beside her. "He's so perfect," the brunette whispered as he stared down at their son, his fingers brushing across the small child's cheek in amazement. "How's Alexis?"

"Surgery went well," he stated as she nodded, leaning down to kiss her sons head before smiling. "Hi Hobbit," he whispered as he continued to watch the small baby. This was their son, the baby boy! "Your dad is on his way and everyone's downstairs with mother at the moment," he declared as she nodded, unable to take her eyes off their baby. "So any names you like?" he asked.

"Harry," she suggested as he nodded, smiling down at the small boy. "Harry William Castle," she declared.

"William? Please not after the Will you used to date Rick," he began before she laughed and shook her head.

"He saved my life and little hobbit's," she began, kissing him quickly before leaning down and gently kissing her son's forehead. "Have you got any suggestions for names?" she asked.

"Harry William is a nice name," he stated as she nodded slowly. "We have a couple more days to choose anyway, we might find inspiration somewhere," he stated, wrapping an arm around his wife as Kate continued to observe their child in silence. "Do I get a hold?" he asked as Kate nodded, slowly moving her arms to allow Rick to take hold of their son. "He's heavier than Alexis was when she was born," he commented as Kate relaxed back in the bed in silence, staring at the two of them in amazement. "He looks like you though, he has my eyes but he's all you," he declared.

"I love that he has your eyes, I wanted him to have your eyes," Kate said quietly before yawning and shutting her eyes. "Go and see Alexis, see if you can take hobbit with you too, everyone will want to see him," she mumbled, clearly tired as Rick nodded and cradled his son close, watching as his wife slowly fell asleep.

XOOXOXOXOXXOXO

"Castle," Ryan smiled as the writer entered the waiting room, the small baby in his arms as the two cops, ME, actress and nervous grandfather stood up and stared at him.

"Let me see," Martha immediately squealed, approaching her son before she took her grandson into her arms and smiled down at the baby. "He looks a lot like Kate actually," the redhead admitted quickly as Rick nodded in agreement. "But he has your eyes."

"Yeah, Kate said that as well," Rick admitted, watching as Martha passed the baby to Jim before sitting down and watching as the grandfather rocked the small boy.

"How's Kate doing?" Jim questioned, glancing across at his son in-law before smiling down at the new born.

"Really well, she's asleep at the moment but she was amazing. She didn't even threaten to kill me," Rick smiled as Ryan and Esposito laughed while Lanie rolled her eyes. "I'm going to go and see Alexis, no stealing my son," he warned as everyone nodded slowly while Lanie held her arms out towards Jim, desperate to hold the new born. Approaching the ward, Rick sighed as a nurse quickly directed him towards the bed before he stared at the young redhead who was lying asleep in the middle of the bed, her skin pale as Rick moved towards the bed and sat down on the edge, his hand grabbing hers quickly as he pressed a kiss to her hand. "Hey Alexis," Rick said quietly as he stared at his daughter. "You're a big sister now, Kate's had the baby, you have a brother," he admitted, leaning forward to press a kiss to her forehead. "Wake up Lex; I need you to wake up now. I almost lost you once and I won't lose you this time either."

**I dislike this chapter, it's not my favourite and it feels really bitty but hopefully you enjoy it. I'm not good at writing birth scenes so I tried to skip it as much as possible but I understand that aspects might not actually be accurate. **


	24. Chapter 24

"Hello new mommy," Lanie smiled as she entered the hospital room to see the detective sat on the bed with the small baby in her arms, her smile growing as she stared up at her friend. "He's lovely Kate," the ME declared as she sat down and watched as Kate nodded slowly. "Has Rick come back from downstairs yet?" she questioned as Kate shrugged slowly.

"He brought hobbit back but then he went back downstairs, he needs to stay with Alexis," she said quietly as Lanie watched her in silence. "I could have done with here during the first feed. It was awkward and well, I needed his support but I understand that he needs to be with Alexis. It will be easier when I get out of here," Kate admitted, running her fingers across her son's cheek as he began to fall asleep in her arms. "None of this was how I imagined it happening," she said quietly.

"Yeah," Lanie commented as Kate nodded.

"I wanted everything to be perfect, I want to have the baby's room ready and the whole family around and instead my step daughter is downstairs after surgery for a gunshot wound, I have to find a new house because I can't stand being in the loft now and my baby's here and my husband isn't," she ranted as Lanie nodded. "And I sound selfish because he should be with Alexis and he was here for the birth but I miss him and I need him and I just want everything to be how I dreamt it."

"You've just had a baby, it's understandable that you want your husband here," Lanie smiled as Kate nodded. "He's so gorgeous Kate, I might just have to steal him forever and ever," the ME stated as Kate laughed, leaning down to kiss her son before smiling at the feel of him moving against her. "Is it as amazing as they make it sound?" she questioned.

"Definitely," Kate smiled as she kept her eyes on her son. "He's just this tiny little human whose all mine and I've been completely in love with him the moment I got to hold him for the first time," the brunette declared as Lanie nodded. "My perfect little boy," she whispered, relaxing back as Lanie continued to watch her before there was a knock at the door, her eyes looking up to see her father opening the door. "Hi dad," Kate smiled.

"Hello," Jim smiled as he moved towards the bed, Lanie standing before excusing herself and leaving the room while Jim sat down on the edge of the bed. "How does it feel being a new mom?" he asked in confusion.

"Good," Kate admitted as her father slowly took the baby from her, his smile growing as Kate watched. "How's Alexis?"

"Still unconscious," Jim said quietly as Kate nodded. "Rick wanted me to tell you that he missed you and he hoped you were both okay," he declared as the brunette nodded and smiled at her father as he rocked her son in his arms. "Your mom would be so proud of you Katie."

"She would have loved having a grandchild wouldn't she?" Kate commented as he nodded in agreement. "She would have stolen him from me all the time, she would constantly be babysitting him," she laughed, watching her father cuddled the small baby close to him as she laughed. "You're a granddad now daddy," she declared.

"Yeah finally, I'm going to teach him how to fish and everything that Rick doesn't know how to do," Jim smiled as Kate nodded, running her fingers across her sons head as he moved in his grandfather's arms. "He reminds me so much of you when you were a baby Kate," he declared.

"Dad when you had me did you feel terrified and yet so excited and ready?" Kate asked as he nodded, passing the small boy back to his daughter before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"It's the most amazing adventure Katie, being a parent, and you're going to be wonderful at it," Jim stated before she nodded and smiled down at her son. She was a parent now, this was the new chapter of her life and she was so excited to start being a parent to her baby!

XOOXOXXOXOX

Clinging onto Alexis' hand tightly as he stared at his daughter, Rick bit into his lip before kissing her hand nervously, desperate for her to wake up and smile at him. He wanted his little girl back. He wanted to tell her that she had a baby brother who was healthy and perfect. Shutting his eyes as he forced himself to relax back in the chair, Rick sighed as he kept hold of her hand tightly, not wanting to let go of his daughter. This was his Alexis, the baby he'd loved and the child he taught words and numbers too, the teenager he'd laughed with and the young woman he was amazed about.

"Please wake up Alexis, please wake up," Rick said quietly, hoping saying it would make her wake up and stare at him. He needed to hear her laugh, her voice, just the way that she made him smile. "You need to wake up pumpkin, you have a baby brother now and he'll want to meet you soon," the writer smiled as he continued to cling onto her hand, his eyes remaining shut before he felt her hand slowly squeeze his. Opening his eyes, Rick watched as her hand continued to cling onto his before letting go. "Lex?" Rick asked, pressing the call button for the doctor while he leant forward in his chair. "Pumpkin its dad, open your eyes for me," he begged, staring at her in desperation as her eyes remained shut. "Come on Alexis please open your eyes," he declared, her eyes slowly opening as he smiled and moved to sit on the edge of the bed as she stared up at him for a moment, tears in her eyes as he smiled. "Hey beautiful girl," he whispered.

"Daddy," she mumbled as she reached up to remove the oxygen mask, his head shaking as she let it go. "Daddy," she mumbled again as he nodded, the doctor quickly entering the room as Rick smiled and nodded at the doctor, remaining close to her as the doctor smiled at her, informing her of what had happened in surgery before leaving the room to see another patient. "Daddy," Alexis said quietly as he nodded and leant forward to kiss her forehead again while she kept the oxygen mask over her face.

"Want to see something amazing?" Rick asked as Alexis nodded slowly, watching as he took his cell phone out and smiled. Turning it around to face her, Rick watched as the redhead stared at the image of her new born brother. "That's your brother, he was born about two and half hours ago," he explained as she nodded slowly, groaning in pain as she attempted to move. "Stay still sweetheart, you need to stay still because you don't want to hurt yourself."

"Shot," she whispered as he nodded slowly, his hand finding hers again as she stared at him, clearly upset. "Kate?"

"She's good, upstairs in maternity with hobbit at the moment. She's worried about you though but I'll get someone to call her later and tell her that you're okay Alexis," he explained as she nodded again, not knowing what else to say to her as he continued to hold onto her hand. His little girl was awake and that made everything feel slightly better. "You're going to be okay Alexis, you're going to be okay," Rick said quietly before kissing her forehead again, not wanting to leave her as he smiled at her while she fought to keep her eyes opened. Hearing the door open behind him, Rick turned to glance behind, his smile growing at the sight of Jim Beckett pushing his daughter into the room while Kate held onto their baby in her arms. "You've got some visitors Lex," Rick smiled at his daughter as Kate was moved closer towards the bed while Alexis turned her head and stared at the brunette for a moment.

"Hey," Kate whispered as Alexis held her hand out and ran her fingers across the blanket that the baby was hidden in. "Yeah hobbit's here now," the brunette declared. "And he wanted to come and visit you and I missed you so we decided to disobey the nurse and come and see you," Kate smiled as Alexis continued to stare down at the bundle in Kate's arms. "Want to see him?"

"Yes," Alexis said quietly, Kate's fingers moving the blanket away slightly to reveal the sleeping boy, everyone's smiles growing as they stared at him. "Wow," the younger woman muttered as Kate nodded slowly, not knowing what else to say as her son slowly opened his eyes and began to move. "Name?"

"We haven't made a decision yet," Rick stated as Kate smiled up at him for a moment, glad to be with her family again. "Here, I'm going to get something to drink quickly, I'll take him with me," Rick announced, taking the child from Kate before smiling at his daughter and leaving the room in silence.

"Scared," Alexis said quietly as Kate smiled weakly and laced her fingers with her stepdaughter's.

"I know it's scary but you're going to be okay," Kate promised as Alexis yawned. "Now, don't fight your body, get some more sleep, we'll still be here when you wake up," Kate smiled, watching as Alexis nodded and shut her eyes slowly, allowing herself to fall asleep as Kate continued to look at her. They were going to be okay! It could only get better from now!

**Another short chapter but please review, I love hearing from you and well, I know the chapters have been shorter recently but they will get longer and we will begin to focus on the amnesia aspect again, that will really come up in the next chapter especially. **

**Anyway thank you for your continued support. **


	25. Chapter 25

"What do you mean he's not coming home again?" Jim practically shouted down the phone as Kate stood in the doorway, unseen, her eyes shutting for a moment before she glanced back to see the small cot that had been put up in her old bedroom in her father's apartment. Her son was four days old, she was living with her father and her husband was staying at the hospital with his daughter and she hadn't seen him since she'd been able to take her baby out of the hospital and he'd escorted her home. "Martha, I know he wants to stay with Alexis but Kate and Harry need him too, even if he came back just for a couple of hours that would be better than nothing. She's exhausted," the older man declared as Kate shut the door quickly and moved back towards her son, her smile growing as she stared at his sleeping body. Harry William Castle, her son.

"I wish you'd arrived later, I wish you'd arrived dead on forty weeks," Kate whispered as she ran her finger across his cheek. "It would have been easier if you'd been just a little bit later, your daddy would be here and Alexis would be slightly better," the brunette declared as she stared at him. "But I love you, I love having you here Harry, don't' think that I mean I don't want you," the brunette whispered, hearing her father talking out in the corridor even though the words weren't clear. "Your daddy loves you too baby, I know he hasn't been around that often but he wants to be here, it's just difficult. Tomorrow we'll go and visit him and your sister," the brunette promised before lying on the bed, staring at the cot that was beside her as she continued to observe her child. She'd made this baby with her husband, the man she loved, the husband she'd lost and was starting to get back again and had now lost again to Tyson. Hearing her phone ring, Kate reached across and smiled at the image of her and Rick that was flashing on the screen. "Beckett," Kate said quietly.

"Hey," Rick's tired voice whispered as she bit into her lip. "How are you? How's Harry?"

"Tired," Kate muttered before they both fell silent. "How's Alexis?" she said quietly, her concern obvious in her voice as she continued to watch her son in amazement.

"Drugged up, she tried to move today and it didn't go very well. She's fed up of being in a bed," he admitted sadly. "Kate you know I would come home if I could but I don't want her to be alone if she wakes up," Rick announced before kissing her quickly and holding her close to his body. "She really needs me Kate, mother is struggling to cope with the whole concept and she's my little girl."

"And Harry's your three day old son who you've held probably around four or five times Rick," Kate shouted before groaning, realising that she was being unfair. "I just want you to be here because what if you miss something important?" she asked quietly, terrified that he was going to not have memories of their child. "Rick…"

"I'm trying Kate, I'll come home tomorrow for a couple of hours," Rick declared as she shook her head slowly.

"Rick I know she's your daughter but she has a grandmother and a huge extended family who would spend a couple of hours with her just so you could come home and have some times with your son," she explained, thinking of Lanie, Javier and Kevin who would all gladly spend time with the younger woman as well as her own father just so they could have a moment alone.

"But I'm her father Kate and I promised the last time that I would never leave her alone again. She's been taken from me twice now Kate but I won't risk losing her again because I couldn't protect her, I am going to stay here until she's safe and there is no more risk," Rick announced before Kate shut her eyes and nodded, he was doing what was best for his daughter, she knew that!

"Harry and I are coming to the hospital tomorrow, we'll talk then," she stated as Rick groaned.

"For god's sake Kate, she nearly died," Rick declared quickly, his frustration obvious as she remained silent. "You and Harry are safe, there's still a huge chance there could be complications with Alexis," the writer announced as she nodded. "Kate I love you and I love Harry too but I can't just play happy families and leave Alexis right now."

"And I'm not asking you too Rick but I just want you to be around for an hour a day at least," she stated. "Just an hour Rick so I could talk to you about things or get some sleep or you could at least bond with our son," she announced before yawning. "Do you know what?" she asked.

"What?" Rick questioned.

"I could have done with you the last couple of days, not for anything major but just for a hug or a kiss or just someone to tell me that I'm doing alright because when my dad says it he has to be nice because he's my dad but you, I know you will always be honest to me," Kate stated before shutting her eyes. "I'll talk to you tomorrow Castle, Harry's asleep at the moment and I want to get at least a couple of minutes before he wants his next feed."

"Katie," Rick sighed.

"I love you and we'll see you tomorrow Rick, try and get some sleep," she declared before she hung up and threw the phone across the bed before relaxing back, shutting her eyes to stop herself from crying. Hearing Harry start to cry, Kate sighed before she reached in and lifted him out of the cot. "I love you, I love you," Kate whispered before kissing his head, her hands moving to rest him beside her before she undid Rick's shirt that she was wearing. "We're going to go and see daddy tomorrow baby and he's going to spend lots of time with you I promise and we're going to be a proper family soon hobbit, you and me and your daddy and Alexis."

XOOXOXXOXOXOXO

"You look exhausted," Martha commented as she entered the private room the following morning to find her son slouching in the chair beside her granddaughter who was fast asleep in the bed. "I had a phone call from Jim last night," she said quietly as Rick nodded, running his fingers through his hair before he took hold of his cell phone and stared at the image of his wife lying on the bed at Jim's apartment with a sleeping Harry beside her, an image he'd taken when he'd brought the two of them to Jim's apartment.

"Kate called last night," Rick admitted.

"How did that go?" his mother asked as he shrugged, not knowing what else to say. "Richard."

"She's angry because I haven't been around much," he admitted as he held onto Alexis' hand again. "I need to be here mother but Kate wants me to be with her and Harry too and I can't be in two places at once even though I want to be," he whispered, his frustration obvious as his mother began to nod slowly.

"Yes but Richard, a couple of hours a day at least just for her and Harry would make things even the tiniest bit better because she's clearly finding some bits of it hard," Martha sighed as he nodded. "Kate really struggled with breast feeding," the redhead said quietly as shock covered his face. "Lanie told me the other day, she struggled with the whole idea and got upset and stressed and she would have liked you there," his mother admitted as Kate shut her eyes, not knowing what to say. "This whole thing is new to her and it is scary and she just wants your support Richard because she's never been a parent before."

"But Alexis…" he began.

"Is a big girl and has a huge support system around her and right now, the only person Kate really wants is you and you need to give her that even just for a little while. You've not had much time together since your accident and then you were in witness protection and separated and now she's looking after your son and you're trying to look after Alexis. You need to make time for each other too," Martha advised before pressing a kiss into his hair and smiling. "When Kate gets here, take her and Harry out somewhere for lunch. Turn off your cell phone and just spend a couple of hours with her and your gorgeous little boy, I promise I won't leave Alexis until you're back."

"Could you stay with Alexis tonight? I think I should be at home," Rick whispered as Martha nodded, the sound of the door opening making them both turn as Kate stepped in with Harry in her arms.

"I'll leave you two alone," Martha smiled before walking out of the room in complete silence while Kate moved towards her husband in silence.

"Hey," Rick whispered as he stood up, his fingers brushing across Harry's hat covered head as Kate nodded slowly. "I thought we could go to lunch today Kate, maybe go out for a picnic or something with Harry," the writer suggested as she nodded again, watching as he held his arms out for his son. "Kate," he whispered, smiling when she passed Harry to him and he took the small boy into his arms. "God you're growing."

"Yeah, he gets bigger every day and louder too," she stated, watching her husband and son as she kept him close. "So we're going for a picnic?" Kate questioned as she moved to sit down, enjoying watching the two men in her life together.

"It's nice outside, just the three us, no cell phones and it won't be as chaotic as trying to take a screaming new born into a restaurant or something and we'll be able to talk easier Kate," he promised.

"I'd like that Rick."

XOXOXOOXXOXOXO

"Mother told me that you struggled with breastfeeding," Rick said quietly as they sat on the grass while Harry rested in the stroller beside them asleep, embarrassment covering Kate's face as she brushed her hair behind her ear. "It's okay Kate," he whispered as she turned to look at him before moving closer, his arm sneaking around her as they both relaxed back to lie down on the grass. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"What? It's not a problem anymore," Kate said quietly before looking up at him. "I've never done anything like that before and you know my breasts aren't an area I like to have exposed often and the nurse was trying to help and she kept staring at the scar and hobbit wouldn't stop screaming the whole time until I got it right," the brunette blurted out as he found her hand and laced his fingers with hers. "I know I was being stupid."

"Lots of people struggle with it Kate," he promised as she nodded slowly. "I'm sorry I wasn't there Kate," he declared.

"There's not much you could have done there anyway Castle," Kate whispered.

"I could have supported you, helped you, told the nurse to stop staring at your scar," he announced as she bit into her lip, not wanting to start another fight. He had left the hospital to spend time with her and their child; she wasn't going to fight him when she was just happy to be with him again. "I love your scar," he whispered as she laughed quickly. "I do, it reminds me of how strong you are every day."

"It also reminds us how close we were to never having this, to never having hobbit Rick," Kate muttered as he nodded, his fingers running through her dark hair as she smiled to herself and shut her eyes. "I'm sorry I was rude to you last night Rick, you want to be with your daughter and that's understandable," the brunette declared before she kissed him, unable to stop herself from smiling against his lips as his hands moved down towards her ass. "Richard Castle, I just had a baby."

"I still find you unbelievably sexy," Rick smirked as she rolled her eyes before sitting up and glancing at the stroller, leaning up to see that her son was still fast asleep. "Mother is going to stay with Alexis tonight Kate, I promise that I'll wake up every time tonight to look after him and we can look for a new home as well, just let me make up for not giving you all the attention you deserve," Rick begged as she nodded, glad that he'd be spending a few more hours with her and hobbit. "I've been a crap husband Kate…"

"No, you've been preoccupied and it's understandable but I don't want you to look back one day when Alexis is fine and healthy and think about all the time you missed with Harry," Kate declared as the writer nodded, knowing that Kate was probably right. "I don't want you to miss a moment Rick."

"And I won't, I'm going to make more of an effort, I'm not good at balancing. I'm so used to it being Alexis and me and then all of a sudden I'm married with a baby on the way and then the baby is here and my daughter is shot and I don't know how to balance all these people and give them all the attention they deserve," Rick explained as she nodded, smiling when he sat up and moved his arms around her so she was resting against his chest. "I want to make everyone feel better and I don't seem to be doing anything right."

"I think we're allowed to make some mistakes," Kate explained quickly before turning her head and kissing him again before she cuddled into his side as they lay back down on the grass. "We just need to learn from them," she whispered before Harry began to cry.

"Here let me, it's my turn," Rick smiled, moving away from his wife before standing and lifting his son into his arms, his smile growing as he kept the small boy close while Kate continued to watch them in amazement. She had a family now, she was actually a mommy.

XOOXOXOXOXXO

"I have hundreds of missed calls from my mother," Rick stated as they walked down the street together, Kate pushing the stroller as she smiled down at her son in amazement before glancing across at her concerned husband who was already calling his mother back. "Mother what's wrong?" he immediately asked, his smile completely disappearing as Kate stopped and watched him silently. Something was wrong, something was really wrong! "I'll be there in ten minutes," he announced before hanging up and sliding the cell phone into the pocket of his jeans. "Kate…"

"What's wrong?" Kate asked quietly.

"Alexis got stressed and tried to get out of bed, her stitches tore and she started bleeding. They've had to sedate her to stop her from moving around and causing any more damage," he said quietly as she stepped away from the stroller before tightly wrapping her arms around his body for a moment. "I should have been there, I should have been there Kate," he declared, his head shaking as she stepped away. "I shouldn't have come out today, I should have waited till she was better and had healed a bit more," he muttered as she looked down, not surprised that Harry was now starting to scream.

"It's okay Harry, mommy's here," Kate whispered, glancing across at her husband for a moment as he stared down at his watch. "Go and see Alexis, I'll call you tonight if I have time," she declared before turning the stroller in the opposite direction, knowing that she'd need to find a cab in order to get home as Rick groaned in frustration before shaking his head and moving in the direction of the hospital. He needed to be with Alexis, even though he knew it was beginning to take its toll of his marriage.

**People are probably going to hate me for this chapter but you've got to remember Rick is used to having one child and is only just getting used to being married really when hobbit is born and therefore he's trying to do what's right and it's not going well. Someone asked me what's going on with Tyson and that will be brought up probably in the next chapter as well as more of the amnesia stuff. **

**I'm not sure about this chapter but I was in an angsty sort of mood with everything that's happening in Castle and I was watching ER and Always as well so it was kind of an angst filled day so hopefully you enjoyed the chapter. I know it doesn't directly follow on or anything but I think we need to start moving on with the story and well, hopefully you agree and enjoy. **


	26. Chapter 26

"What are you doing here?" Jim Beckett said quickly after opening the door to find his son in law standing nervously in the corridor, clearly exhausted as he forced a small smile onto his face as he glanced up at the older man. "Kate's not here, she's gone out with Lanie with Harry to look at some apartments," he stated as Rick nodded slowly, sighing as he watched Jim move to shut the door.

"I'm trying Jim," the writer said quickly as the older man stopped and glanced at him. "I know I'm not being the best father or husband right now but I'm trying, Harry has two parents, Alexis only has one and she needed me," Rick explained as Jim crossed his arms. He could understand how the other man was feeling. The idea of choosing between two of your own children sounded horrific but he knew the writer was in the wrong for hardly spending any time with his two week old son. "Alexis is doing better now and she's angry at me and I want to spend time with Kate and Harry now Alexis is recovering and more mobile," he declared, smiling when Jim stepped out of the way to allow him into the apartment, his head shaking as he stared at the numerous baby belongings that covered the surfaces. "We really have invaded your apartment."

"It's fine, I've enjoyed having them here," Jim admitted as he moved towards the couch and sat down. "Kate shouldn't be too long, she went about three hours ago and she was only looking at two today," he explained as Rick nodded slowly, angry at himself that he'd isolated himself from the whole apartment search with his wife. "She's doing good Rick, she adores him," Jim stated as he rested back in the chair and watched Rick nod again, clearly not knowing what to say. Hearing a door open quickly, Rick glanced across to see Kate's back to him as she wheeled Harry's stroller in to the apartment.

"Dad, I'm home," Kate called out before she turned around, her smile disappearing as she noticed her husband. "Hi," the detective said quietly as she quickly lifted her son out of the stroller and into her arms, her smile growing as he stood up and quickly moved towards her. "What are you doing here?" Kate questioned as he reached down and took Harry from her, enjoying having his son in his arms again as the brunette continued to watch about him in amazement. "I didn't know you were coming," Kate admitted as her father stood up and slowly walked past them towards his bedroom, disappearing from sight as Kate slowly stepped towards her husband. "It's nice to see you."

"Yeah," the writer responded, moving to sit down as Kate continued to watch him in amazement.

"He's so much like you," Kate admitted as she sat down in the space beside him and ran her fingers across Harry's head. "He is so similar to you, he's so happy and relaxed, he's everything I dreamed of and more," the brunette explained as Rick nodded, looking up from his son to glance at his wife in amazement. "He's perfect."

"He is Kate," Rick whispered, his eyes remaining focused on his wife as she bit into her lip. "Alexis shouted at me today," he said quietly as she stared at him.

"Why?" Kate questioned.

"She realised I'd been spending more time at the hospital than with you and she was angry because she knew how much time I'd spent with her as a baby and she didn't want her little brother to miss that experience so she ordered I come and spend the weekend with you," he admitted as Kate nodded, staring down at her son for a moment before moving closer to the writer. "How did you find the apartments today?"

"I found one I really liked actually; maybe we could go and look at it tomorrow together?" Kate said quickly as Rick nodded and smiled at her. "It's near the precinct and it's a similar layout of the loft but the room we could use as an office is bigger so we could have two desks, I could do some work from home, be at home with you and Harry more," Kate explained as he nodded and smiled at her, watching as she leant down and kissed her sons head before she gently lifted Harry out of her arms and stood up. "He's tired and I want us to have a proper chat, an adult chat Castle," Kate said quietly before she disappeared into her bedroom, Rick following her in silence before he observed her place their son in his cot before she sat down on the edge of the bed and began to sing gently.

"The first time I heard you sing properly you were tipsy Kate," Rick smiled as she turned her head and nodded before focusing on their son again. "We were in the Old Haunt, just the two of us after a bad case and a song came on," the writer said quietly, thinking of how she cuddled into his side and began to sing along. "You were slightly drunk, not so drunk you could barely think," he smiled as she nodded, realising that her son was asleep before she moved to sit beside her husband, his hand finding hers as they fell silent for a moment. "Your voice was so sexy and well, we had been dating for a couple of months," he declared as she glanced up at him before he squeezed her hand. "I've been an idiot Kate, I've been an idiot over the last two weeks and I'm sorry," he declared, his guilt obvious as she wrapped her arms around his body before she pressed a kiss into his hair.

"I can't say I forgive you for what you've been doing recently Rick but you had your reasons and we're going to be a family now, the four of us," she whispered before she shut her eyes. "We're going to buy a new home and we'll decorate it as a family and it'll be our family home where our son is going to grow up."

"Kate, I should have been here the last two weeks," Rick said quietly.

"Well you weren't and you can't change that now but you can start being with us now Castle," Kate declared before she smiled weakly. "With both of us," she said quietly before glancing across at her son and returning to look at her husband. "What have you done to me Richard Castle?"

"What do you mean?" he questioned, his concern obvious as she laughed and relaxed back on her bed while he watched her.

"I was so angry at you twenty minutes ago and then suddenly you appear and I can't stop myself from just wanting to kiss you and hug you and love you and I hate what you've done to me Richard Castle sometimes," she moaned before he leant across and kissed her, a moan leaving her lips as she allowed him to continue to kiss her. "Stop it, I haven't forgiven you Castle," she laughed as he moved to kiss her neck, her hands moving to push him away before she sat up and stared back at him. "Do you still love me?"

"Of course I do," Rick declared as she bit into her lip. "What's the matter?" he asked quietly, resting his hand on her shoulder as he sat up. "Kate?" he whispered.

"I was beginning to think you regretted us," she admitted quietly as he sighed and pressed a kiss into her hair. "I know it's stupid but you weren't here and I was beginning to wonder whether it was because you were wondering why you ever married me and why we were having a baby together. I mean you lost your memory and you're reliving everything and well, you can see why I was beginning to doubt it," she declared, his arms moving tightly around her as she rested back against him.

"I would never regret marrying you or having Harry Kate," he reassured before she shut her eyes. "I love you, I've loved you for years and that isn't going to change."

"Do you have to be back at the hospital tonight?" Kate asked quietly as he shook his head slowly, knowing that his mother was staying with Alexis since the younger woman had practically banned him from returning to the hospital over the weekend. "I was thinking that maybe we could go out to the park with Harry later, perhaps go for a group dinner or something," she explained as he nodded and moved off the bed, smiling at their son as he slept peacefully. "I'm going to have a shower."

"Want me to join you Kate?" he asked as she laughed and shook her head, both of them knowing that she wasn't ready for that yet. She was still angry at him deep down and he knew that and he wasn't going to push her too far because he was lucky that she was allowing him back into her life and into their sons life as well.

XOOXXOOXOXXOXO

"Here they are," Lanie smiled as Kate stepped into the restaurant while Rick followed with the stroller, the writer smiling at the group of friends who were currently sat around the table smiling at her. "Where's my favourite godson?" she immediately questioned as Rick laughed and lifted Harry out of the stroller before allowing Lanie to take the small boy, providing the opportunity for the two parents to sit down with their friends. "So how are our favourite little Castle family doing?" Lanie asked as she glanced across at the couple.

"We're doing okay now," Kate said confidently as Rick's hand rested on her thigh underneath the table. "We've made an appointment to look around that apartment again, make sure we definitely like it before we make an offer," Kate explained as Lanie and the two detectives nodded quickly, glad to see the brunette happier than she'd been on previous occasions.

"And how's Alexis?" Kevin asked quickly, his concern obvious as Rick smiled at him and nodded.

"She's doing really well actually, she can move around a lot more without help," he explained as Kate nodded in agreement, watching as Lanie continued to smile down at Harry in amazement. "It's nice to be out of the hospital though; it was starting to get really depressing."

"Do they think she'll be home anytime soon?" Javier questioned as Rick nodded.

"Another week maybe and then they'll allow her home and she'll have to start recovering slowly, trying to get back into a routine and everything like that," Rick explained as Kate rested her hand on his before she smiled weakly.

"Hopefully we'll have a home for her to move into when she gets out," Kate said quietly as he nodded, knowing that Kate wanted to be in her own home as soon as possible. It was obvious that she was fed up of crashing at her father's home and living in her old bedroom with her belongings and all the possessions of her son as well. "So how's the precinct? Still coping without me?" Kate joked as the two men nodded slowly.

"You have a huge pile of paperwork though," Javier teased as Kate rolled her eyes, panic covering her face when Harry started screaming.

"I didn't break him," Lanie immediately blurted out as Kate laughed and reached across for her son, not knowing what else to do as she brought him into her arms and began to hum the song she'd been singing earlier.

"He's just a mommy's boy Lanie," Kate said quickly, her lips brushing across her son's head as a waitress slowly moved towards their table and took everyone's orders before leaving silently. "My perfect little baby," she said quickly as Kevin and Javier looked at each other, not used to their partner being so open and giggly. "Yes, I love you Harry, I love you so much," she smiled before standing and resting him in his stroller, knowing that she couldn't hold him all evening even she wanted too.

"You clearly like your new role of mommy Beckett," Javier commented as she shrugged and sat down again, moving the stroller slightly closer so she could at least keep him close for any emergencies. "Who would have thought it? Detective Beckett gone all domestic," he teased as Kate rolled her eyes at the other cop.

"Do you remember when she practically hated him?" Ryan asked as Lanie and Javier both nodded while Kate laughed, not knowing what to say as she glanced across at her husband as their smiles grew. "Took you two forever to get together though, I think we were beginning to doubt whether it was ever going to happen."

"Especially with Gina and Demming and Josh appearing at all the wrong times," Javier listed as the couple groaned.

"But everything happened rather quickly after they got together. I mean they got engaged, got married, had a baby all within a couple of years," Lanie smiled as Kate nodded and glanced down at her wedding ring before looking at the stroller containing her son. She really had come far in the last couple of years!

"Can everyone stop commenting on our relationship now?" Rick quickly asked as the others slowly nodded. "I mean, we're married and happy now, what does anything else matter?" he asked as she bit into her lip, not knowing what to say in response as she began to rock the stroller slowly to keep herself occupied.

"God where's the food? I'm starving," Javier quickly blurted out, making everyone at the table laugh as the topic quickly changed.

**Short filler chapter which I dislike but I wanted to get something up. I know I haven't answered the whole Tyson thing but that will be coming up in the next few chapters as well as some more development with the Caskett relationship and Alexis returning home from the hospital. **

**I just want to apologise for my terrible updating recently but my mum has broken her ankle, my brother has had an operation and my grandfather has been rushed into hospital really ill and it's kind of a nightmare as it's all happening at once. Hopefully you enjoy this chapter anyway and please review, I love hearing from you and could do with some reviews to make me happy. **


	27. Chapter 27

"I really like it," Rick smiled as he followed Kate around the apartment, taking in the various spaces as the brunette continued to push Harry in the stroller, her focus mainly on their son as he took in the various rooms. "I think we should buy it Kate, I think this could be a good family home for us," he declared, moving towards her before taking her hand and leading her away from the stroller slowly, the brunette groaning as she glanced across at where her son was. "Come here, he'll be fine for one minute," he declared as she nodded and allowed him to lead her into one of the rooms, keeping the door open as she stared at him for a moment in complete silence. "This could be our office," she said quietly.

"Our office Castle?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah," he whispered, leading her around the room as her fingers laced with him. "We could have all of our books covering the walls, a big family picture of all of us across the back wall and our desks on either side of it," he explained as she bit into her lip and listened to him, imagining everything he was saying to her. "We could work together, I could work on my books and you could be right there with me, working on your cases because I know what you're like," he explained as she nodded, laughing when he pulled her close, their eyes locking as she leant up to kiss him, both of them pulling away when Harry began to cry in the other room.

"I better…" she began before leaving the room and lifting her son, her smile growing as she kept him close and kissed his head gently. "I want to live here Rick, I want our son to grow up here Rick," the brunette stated as she turned to see the writer watching her. "Do you love it?" she asked quickly.

"I love it Kate," Rick said simply as she smiled at him before glancing down at their son. "I'm going to call and see how quick we can get the deal done. I want to get us in here as soon as possible," Rick declared before disappearing from sight while Kate approached the large window that looked out at the city.

"Do you like it baby? This could be our family home," Kate whispered as she smiled down at her little boy. "The three of us, Alexis will visit of course," the detective explained as she glanced out at her city, her home. She couldn't imagine anywhere else to bring up her child; this was where she wanted her family to grow up. She wanted memories here! Hearing footsteps behind her, Kate turned to see Rick smiling in the doorway. "Rick?" she asked.

"I need to go in and sign the documents at some point today but it can be ours Kate if we want it," he declared as she smiled and nodded.

"I want it Rick, I want to live in this apartment," she stated, her desperation obvious as the writer nodded and approached her, his arm sneaking around her body as he smiled down at their son. "Our home Rick, this is going to be our home."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Stepping into the hospital room slowly, Kate smiled as she stared at the redhead who was walking around the room slowly with a nurse, the young woman's own smile growing as she noticed her step mother and her brother. Sitting down in a nearby chair, Alexis thanked the nurse who quickly left while Kate moved to sit down on the bed with Harry in her arms.

"Hello," Kate greeted as Alexis nodded, staring down at her brother in amazement as Kate continued to watch her. "I would let you hold him Lex but the doctors are concerned about…" she began as the redhead nodded quickly.

"My strength I know," she sighed as she glanced at her brother. "Come and sit next to me, I want to see him," Alexis begged as Kate moved quickly to sit in the chair beside her step daughter before Alexis stared down at the small child in the brunette's arms. "He's so lovely," she said quietly as Kate nodded, moving Harry closer so Alexis could see him better.

"The doctors think you're going to be able to come home soon," Kate stated as Alexis nodded. "Your dad is signing papers for a new apartment today, so you'll have somewhere to come and stay while you recover and well," she declared as the redhead smiled and nodded, her fingers brushing across Harry's small amount of hair while Kate continued to watch the interaction. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay, scared sometimes. When I'm trying to sleep sometimes I hear a bang or a shout in the corridor and I think that I'm there again," Alexis said quietly as Kate nodded, noticing that Alexis was now shaking slightly and was resting back in her chair as she shut her eyes. Standing quickly, Kate moved towards the door, opening it to bring the stroller in before she rested her son in it before turning to look at Alexis. "I'm scared Katie. Sometimes I'm really scared," Alexis whispered.

"I know sweetheart but you're going to get better. It takes a while sometimes but you'll get there, you'll be okay again," Kate promised, moving to sit beside her before she wrapped her arm around the younger woman. "I should have been here, I should have been here to help you Alexis," she whispered as she pressed a kiss into Alexis' hair, immediately feeling guilty as she heard Alexis begin to cry. "It's going to be okay," Kate promised.

"I've missed you Kate," Alexis admitted as Kate smiled.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I've not been here for you Alexis, especially when you've needed me," Kate whispered, finally realising the struggle Rick had been feeling over the last two weeks. "I love you Alexis," Kate said quietly, Alexis smiling at the words as she slowly looked up at the other woman. "How are you feeling?" she asked, glancing across at her son for a moment before looking at Alexis and smiling.

"Tired," Alexis admitted as Kate nodded and kept her close, not wanting to let her go. She had gone through this alone and she wasn't going to let Alexis go through the same thing! Alexis was going to have the support system she deserved and needed, the support Kate had turned down when she'd been shot. "I'm sorry dad hasn't been spending enough time with you and Harry," Alexis said quietly as Kate shook her head.

"It's not your fault, he was needed here," Kate said quietly as she kept Alexis close, not wanting the young woman to panic about that. "You needed him sweetheart," she explained before pressing another kiss into her hair. "Do you want him here tonight as well?" Kate asked as the redhead shook her head, knowing that Kate needed Rick as much as she did. "He can stay if you need him here Lex."

"You need him too Kate," Alexis stated.

"But you're on your own here and I have Harry and my dad at the apartment," Kate explained as the redhead continued to shake her head, Kate sighing when Harry began screaming from the stroller. Standing, Kate quickly lifted her son into her arms before humming gently as Alexis watched her in amazement. "What?" Kate asked quickly as she glanced across at the younger woman who was staring at her.

"I wish you were my mom sometimes," Alexis admitted as Kate laughed and moved towards her as she kept Harry close to her chest as she attempted to calm his crying. "You love Harry so much," the redhead said quietly as Kate moved to sit beside the younger woman again before she stared down at her daughter again.

"And I love you Alexis," Kate declared as Alexis looked at her. "I love you like my own baby, even if there's more a sister age gap between us than a mother daughter," she explained as the redhead smiled. "You're my daughter Alexis Castle, I saw you as a daughter before I married your father and nothing is going to ever change that," the brunette declared before she leant across and pressed a kiss into Alexis' hair before sighing and shutting her eyes for a moment while Harry moved against her. These were her children and she was going to keep them safe, no matter what.

XOXOXOXOXOX

"Did you sign the papers Rick?" Kate asked as she stepped into her father's apartment to see Rick in the kitchen preparing dinner, her smile growing as she kicked off her shoes and brushed her fingers through her hair. It was nice to be somewhere that felt like home, somewhere that wasn't a white and overly hygienic hospital.

"Yes they're all signed and ready, the apartment is ours Kate," Rick declared as she smiled in amazement before moving away from the stroller and approaching her husband, his arms moving around her as she leant up and slowly kissed him. "How's Alexis?" he immediately asked when she pulled away and stared at him in amazement.

"She's okay, walking a lot better," Kate declared as he nodded and stepped away, plating up their food before he carried it towards the table. "Where's dad?"

"At a meeting," he declared as she nodded and checked on Harry, noticing that he was fast asleep before she moved towards the table and sat down beside her husband, her smile growing as she relaxed and stared at the plate of pasta. "Are you sure she was okay? I should have gone to visit but I thought you'd be hungry," he explained as Kate brushed her fingers through his hair before moving to focus on her dinner.

"She's fine Rick I promise," Kate said quietly. "She's a bit nervous but she's getting better, I think she's just getting used to everything," the brunette explained as he nodded. "They think she'll be home soon which will be good, I think it'll be good for her to be out of the hospital," she admitted, both of them eating quickly as silence quickly filled the apartment. "We have a home now Rick," Kate said quietly after a few moments.

"We do," Rick declared as he glanced across at her for a moment. "I thought we could start moving things in at the weekend, I already called people to help us move in," he explained as she nodded slowly, excited to move into the new apartment. She loved her father but she knew that they were starting to overtake each other's space, especially since she had a husband and son living with her in her father's small apartment. "Hopefully Alexis will be home after that."

"We can have a room ready for her when she gets home," Kate commented before she took hold of the two empty plates and approached the kitchen, washing them quickly as Rick walked towards her and stared at her. "It'll be nice to have a family home again."

"I agree," Rick declared as he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face into her hair. "Was Alexis okay about me not visiting today?"

"She was fine Rick, she was absolutely fine," Kate declared as he nodded. "You want her to need you don't you?" she asked as he remained silent. "It's almost like you don't want to be here," Kate said quietly as she turned to face him. "Do you not want to be here Castle?" she asked quickly as she crossed her arms and stared at him.

"Of course I want to be here Kate," he moaned as she pushed passed him and put the two plates away, trying to keep everything as organised as possible. "Why do you keep getting these ideas that I don't want to be here Kate?"

"You just seem desperate to go back to the hospital, it's like you don't want to be here," she stated as he groaned. "I'm so happy to have you home and you just seem desperate to get away from me, to get away from us."

"Kate, I don't want to get away from either of you," he declared as she began to walk towards the bedroom while Rick followed her quickly, Harry still sleeping in the living room as he shut the door behind them. "Why would you think that?"

"Because I haven't seen you in practically two weeks Richard Castle and you hardly want to be with us," she stated before shutting her eyes briefly. Opening her eyes quickly, Kate shook her head at her behaviour before she found her pyjamas and grabbed one of the small outfits for her son before turning to face her husband. What was happening to them? What was happening to their marriage? "I'm being stupid."

"No, you're just…" he began before she glared at him.

"Do not say hormonal because I will shoot you."

**My chapters just seem to be getting worse; honestly none of them have been particularly brilliant recently. I'm really sorry that I've been terrible at updating but the whole family situation has been a nightmare and my grandfather passed away last week so updating hasn't been one of my major priorities. Anyway do review, I love hearing from you and if there's anything you'd like to see in this, I could do with the inspiration. **


	28. Chapter 28

"Where's Kate?" Alexis asked as her father entered the room to see his daughter standing nervously in the room, dressed in a simple dress Kate had picked out for her and packed in a bag for Martha to bring to the hospital. She looked like his daughter again, a small smile covering her pale face as Rick took hold of her bag and watched her move towards him. "I thought Kate was coming with you," the redhead admitted as she followed her father out of the room, knowing that she'd signed all of the papers and was free to go home.

"She's at the new apartment getting things painted," Rick explained as Alexis nodded slowly. "I know you would have liked it finished before you got discharged but things have been a nightmare," the writer explained as Alexis nodded again, knowing that there were still issues between her father and his wife. "But we've got you a bed made up in the office but we'll have your room done by tomorrow probably," the writer stated as she waved goodbye to the nurses and stepped into the elevator, her eyes shutting as she breathed out. She was finally going home, finally allowed to be with her family instead of around all the doctors and nurses who were continually asking her questions. "We're so excited to have you home," Rick admitted as Alexis nodded; his arm curling around her body as she relaxed into his side.

"It'll be nice to be home," Alexis admitted as he kept his daughter close, glancing down to see her eyes still firmly shut. "I want to spend more time with my baby brother," Alexis declared as Kate nodded, not surprised that Alexis wanted to spend time with Harry. She'd always wanted a sibling and now she had one! "Are things with you and Kate any better?" she asked quietly, her eyes opening as she looked at him and watched the smile disappear. "Still arguing dad?" she questioned.

"A bit," Rick sighed, leading her out of the elevator when the doors open. "It's just over stupid things now and with the move and decorating and a new baby things have been stressful at the moment," the writer explained as he approached the car and unlocked it, throwing Alexis' bag into the bag while the redhead stepped in and relaxed in the chair while Rick moved into the driver's seat. "I think it'll be easier now that you're home Alexis," he admitted.

"I think it will be too dad," the redhead smiled, desperate to see the new apartment.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Welcome home Alexis," everyone laughed as Alexis stepped into the new apartment and stared at the make shift decorations that were hanging in the empty room and the food that was resting on one of the tables nearby. Walking over, Kate quickly wrapped her arms around the young redhead who smiled and rested into the older woman's hold as Rick placed her bag on the floor and approached their son who Lanie was currently holding, taking Harry into his arms as he continued to watch the interaction between his wife and daughter.

"Welcome home," Kate whispered as Alexis smiled and nodded before glancing across at the large group of friends and family who were standing around smiling at her. Moving away from Alexis, Kate smiled as Martha quickly walked towards Alexis and wrapped her arms around her. "Well we have pizza," Kate explained as she moved towards the table and watched the redhead in amazement while everyone continued to hug the younger woman. She was happy to have Alexis home, happy to see the young woman in her home where she belonged.

"So Alexis, we're going to be painting for most of the day but you're welcome to sit with us while we finish," Rick explained as Alexis moved to sit down on the only chair in the room.

"Can't I help?" the redhead asked quickly.

"You're supposed to be taking it easy Alexis Castle," Kate explained as she walked over and pressed a kiss into Alexis' hair as the redhead continued to smile. "There's plenty of books to read sweetheart and you probably have college work to catch up on," the brunette declared as Alexis nodded slowly, glancing around the apartment while Kate moved towards Rick and Harry who was starting to fuss in his father's arms. "He's hungry," Kate stated as Rick nodded and allowed her to take hold of their son again before moving towards another room, disappearing from sight quickly.

"Dad," Alexis said quietly as the writer nodded and moved in the direction that Kate had just gone in. Entering the room that was going to be their office, Rick sighed as the sight of Kate sat against the wall with Harry close to her chest, her eyes shut as she continued to hum gently to their son. Moving silently towards her, Rick sat down and smiled as Kate opened her eyes and stared at him.

"I always thought my only purpose in life was to be a cop Rick," Kate admitted before she glanced down at Harry. "But holding him, looking at him I know that this is what I should be. I was meant to be a mom Rick," she declared as Rick nodded and smiled at her, taking in the sight of their son at her breast.

"You're a wonderful mom Kate," Rick admitted, leaning down to kiss her gently, her smile growing as she kissed him back. "God I love you," the writer said quietly as she stared at him.

"I love you too," she admitted, smiling when Harry moved away from her. "Take him," Kate stated as Rick took hold of Harry while she moved to sort out her t-shirt. "I can't wait for us to have our home all ready," Kate declared as he nodded, keeping Harry close while Kate watched them in complete silence. "I've been a bitch haven't I?"

"You've been tired and busy and I understand everything," Rick explained. "We've not exactly had an easy time at the moment but it's going to get better now, life is going to get so much better," he whispered as she nodded slowly, leaning up to kiss him again before laughing against his lips when Harry began to cry between them. "Sorry Harry, mommy and I will stop kissing around you now," Rick smiled as Kate brushed her fingers across Harry's head.

"How's your memory?" Kate asked quietly as she stood up and took Harry into her arms, allowing Rick to quickly stand.

"Haven't thought of anything new recently," he admitted as she nodded. "But that doesn't mean I won't Kate, I'll be back to normal soon and everything will be okay."

"Let's hope so," Kate whispered before she walked out of the room again to join their friends and family.

XOOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Turning over in their makeshift bed in their office, Kate slowly sat up to find that the space beside her was completely empty. Glancing across to see that the rest of the room was empty, Kate sighed as she climbed out from underneath the bedroom and stepped out of the room to find Rick standing by the window with Harry in his arms.

"It's two in the morning Castle," Kate stated as she walked towards them, her hand resting on his shoulder as he turned his head to look at her, a small smile covering his face as he stared at her. "Why are you awake Rick? I didn't hear him cry," she whispered, glancing down at their son as Rick remained silent while he continued to watch her.

"I had a bad dream and he was about to start screaming when I got out of bed so I brought him out here, you and Alexis both need to sleep and I didn't want him to disturb you," Rick explained, glancing towards the stairs as he thought about Alexis who had fallen asleep a couple of hours ago.

"What was your dream about then?" Kate said quietly as he shook his head for a moment. "Rick tell me please, maybe it will make you feel better if you told me about it" she whispered, wanting to support him again like she used to. They used to tell each other everything and she wanted to start that again, she wanted to be supportive.

"It was about you when you were pregnant Katie," Rick admitted while Kate stared at him and took their son before carrying him towards the small cot that and resting him down. "You were just starting to show, we'd been so excited and you were working this case…" he whispered as she shut her eyes quickly, realising that he'd remembered something. Remembered something she'd never wanted to think about again.

"Rick," she muttered as she turned to face him.

"I dreamt that we almost lost Harry Kate…"

**So what do you think? I know it's short but yeah, hopefully you enjoy it. **

**I'm trying to get back on track so here we are with the amnesia focus again. The next chapter will carry on from here and there will also be an explanation for why Jenny and Ryan don't have any children in this story yet as I know you were wondering about that. **

**Thank you for your reviews, I love hearing from you and I'd be really interested in your opinions on this chapter. **


	29. Chapter 29

"_I dreamt that we almost lost Harry Kate…" _

"Kate," Rick whispered as he moved closer to her and moved his arms around her body, not wanting to let her go as she rested her head against his shoulder and breathed out. How was she supposed to explain it to him? He'd been so upset the first time, so angry with her because of what she'd almost done and now she had to go through that whole situation again because he was gaining the vague memory of the whole event. "Kate, we almost lost our son," he mumbled as he pressed a quick kiss into her hair before she looked up at him and ran her fingers across his cheek. "Katie."

"I was starting to show, we'd spent the whole morning practically in bed together staring at my stomach, god you never moved your hands away from this tiny bump that you practically hid when your hand was on it," Kate said quietly as they moved towards the other room again, Kate glancing across at where Harry was sleeping before they entered the office and sat down on their makeshift bed. "I was supposed to have the day off work and we planned just to stay in bed and watch television and plan things for when Harry arrived," Kate admitted as she cuddled into his arms and relaxed, not knowing what else to say. "I really don't want to talk about this Rick," she finally declared as he groaned and stared at her.

"Please," Rick begged as she shut her eyes. "We were in bed talking about Harry and our plans and then your phone started ringing," he declared, recalling the vague memories of his dream, as she nodded slowly, her fingers lacing with his as she bit into her lip. "You answered the phone, even though I didn't want you too," Rick stated, remembering how he'd pulled her back on the bed, the two of them laughing as they fought over her answering the phone.

"I answered the phone, Ryan and Esposito were working on a case and they needed my help for something," Kate admitted as Rick nodded and shut her eyes. "You were angry for a little while because we wanted to spend the whole day planning and I'd promised not to go into work but you agreed and we went into the precinct to help with the case," she stated as he nodded, his arms wrapping tightly around her body as she slowly looked up at him. "Everyone was babying me…"

"You shouted at the boys," he laughed, remembering hearing her shout at the two detectives from his place in the break room while he'd been making her drink and something to eat.

"They kept babying me, getting things for me like I couldn't walk. I was so angry and I wanted to prove that I could still be a decent detective and be pregnant, so I got cocky," she said quietly as Rick nodded, keeping her close as she bit into her lip. "We had an idea where the suspect was and I started to get ready and you told me to stay in the car and I was angry because everyone had been frustrating me since I'd arrived in the precinct, making me feel like I couldn't do my job, so I went ahead and I chased the suspect on my own," she said quietly, clearly ashamed as she buried her face into his chest again.

"Kate," he whispered, his eyes shutting as he remembered the image. Remembered following Javier and Kevin quickly into the building just as Kate had started to fall down the stairs, the suspect standing at the top of the stairs smirking. "You were pushed down the stairs," he stated as she nodded slowly, trying not to cry as he buried his face into her cherry scented hair. "I don't think I've ever been as scared as I was watching you fall down those stairs and not knowing what to do."

"I was terrified Rick," Kate admitted as she remained still. "I was terrified that I was going to lose our baby because I was being stubborn and stupid," she whispered as tears ran down her cheeks. "God I nearly lost our son," she declared as Rick tightly wrapped his arms around her body, not wanting to let her go as he took in all the emotions that were taking over. He was angry, upset, almost grieving for a child that was alive and healthy and asleep in the other room. "You were so angry and you left once I got to the hospital and we were told that everything seemed fine. You needed to calm down and Kevin just came in."

"I've always wondered what happened between you two while I was gone," Rick admitted as she bit into her lip.

"He came in and just sat down next to me. He took hold of my hand and just stared at me for a moment, he didn't say anything and he wasn't being judgemental and I felt so bad because of everything that had happened to him recently," Kate admitted as confusion covered the writer's face. "They've been trying for a baby Rick for years," Kate said quietly as Rick nodded, knowing that he'd been surprised when he'd woken up in the hospital to find that the Ryan's had no baby's yet. "They'd been trying for a baby for so long and they'd been told it was unlikely that it would happen naturally and there I was in hospital, after almost losing my baby because of my stupidity and Ryan was just sat there holding my hand, feeling sorry for me. He wasn't angry with me like I wanted him to be, he didn't even tell me that I was stupid. He just held my hand."

"Kate," Rick whispered.

"They can't have children Rick, they can't have children and I was there being stupid, risking my baby's life for a stupid case that they could have dealt with on their own. I just wanted them to be angry with me for a second, you were the only one who was angry with me and you were the one person I didn't want to be angry."

"I was scared Katie," Rick whispered as she looked up at him, not knowing what to say as he brushed a hand across his cheek. "I was scared because you were so terrified Katie and I was worried about the baby and god Kate," he blurted out before he leant down and kissed her quickly, her fingers moving through his hair as she deepened the kiss. "I love you."

"I love you so much," Kate whispered against his lips as their eyes locked. "I like having you here," she admitted, the writer smiling as he glanced down to see how she was straddling him. "Not like that," she warned when he started to smirk. "I just like having you here… with me."

"I like it too Kate."

XOXOXOXOXOOXXOO

"Stop it, I'm trying to paint," Kate warned as Rick's arms snuck around her waist and his lips began to press against her neck, a laugh leaving her lips as she continued to paint the wall in the nursery. "Go and pick up a paintbrush and help me with that, I don't need a hickey right now," she warned as she turned her head to look at him for a moment, a laugh leaving his lips when she moved away from him and began to focus on painting the walls.

"Remind me why we're painting the apartment when we could just pay someone to decorate it for us?" Rick asked as Kate glared across at him. "Just asking," he smiled as she nodded and continued to concentrate on the painting.

"Because some of the best memories I have of my childhood was decorating the apartment with my parents and I know that some of my dad's favourite memories of my mom is when they decorated their first apartment," she admitted, turning to look at her husband again to find that he was already staring at her with a small smile on his face. "I want us to have normal memories."

"So we're not normal then?" he asked as she crossed her arms, the writer taking in the paint on her face and her messily tied back hair as her smile continued to grow.

"Richard Castle you're as far from normal as possible," she smiled as he laughed. "But I love you for it anyway," she explained, turning when she heard the door open. Watching as Martha entered the room Kate smiled as she took in the look of amazement that was covering her mother in law's face. "How's Alexis?" Kate asked quickly.

"Fast asleep, she woke up for some breakfast but she went straight back to bed afterwards," the redhead explained as Kate nodded slowly.

"And Harry?" Kate asked quickly.

"Entertaining your father Kate," Martha explained as Kate beamed, knowing that Harry was making her father's life so much better even. Her father had someone else to focus on now, a grandson who he'd promised to teach baseball too. "It's looking nice in here," Martha commented as Kate turned to take in the now blue walls. "I can't believe that my son is holding onto a paintbrush and decorating his own apartment," she smirked while Kate laughed and nodded in agreement.

"Well we're making memories mother," Rick declared as Kate shook her head at him before wrapping her arms around her body. "I want to look at this apartment in twenty or thirty years when my children are all grown up with children of their own and tell them all about decorating this apartment with my wife and our family," he explained as Kate stared at him for a moment before Martha nodded and excused herself, leaving the room quickly as Kate moved to start painting again.

"Did you like my speech?" Rick asked.

"Yeah, it was really original Castle," Kate smirked, her smile growing as Rick moved to stand closer to her. "I've painted there already Rick."

"But I'm lonely in that corner of the room," he declared, her eyes rolling before she leant across to kiss him, the brunette squealing when his paint brush brushed against her arm, covering it in the blue paint. "I think you're going to need a long bath tonight Mrs Castle," he commented as his arms moved around her body, keeping her close as she stared up at him.

"Is that your way of saying you want to help?" Kate questioned as he nodded, her eyes rolling as she stared up at him. "We get in here painted and we also finish setting up Alexis' room because she just needs her furniture set up and then we can have a long, hot bath together," she whispered as he groaned, her arms sneaking up around his neck as he kept her close. "Ready to start painting again then Castle?"

"I guess if it means I get to see you in the bath again," he declared, her eyes rolling as she stepped away and began to start painting again.

"It would go quicker if you started painting as well Castle," Kate explained before Rick laughed and began to paint on the other side of the room, trying desperately to stop himself from getting distracted by his beautiful wife.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Running down the stairs with a large smile on her face after she'd gone to see whether Alexis was okay to find the girl was asleep, Kate laughed as she entered the living room to find Rick lying on the floor, in the completely empty room, while lifting a noisy Harry into the air above him. This was the Richard Castle she'd wanted around for the last few weeks! This was the father she wanted in her son's life since he'd entered the world!

"Having fun bonding?" Kate smiled as Rick nodded, the writer sitting up quickly as he held his son in his arms, not wanting to let him go as Kate sat down beside him and ran her fingers through Harry's small amount of hair. "I love his little curls," she stated before shaking her head and laughing. "I just love every single thing about him," she admitted, leaning down to kiss Harry's head gently while Rick watched in amazement. He'd dreamt of this for years, he'd dreamt of a maternal Kate and having children with her and here they were, a family with a new born son and everything he'd dreamt of.

"I just love that he's us Kate, he's everything we fought so hard for," he admitted as she nodded, the writer staring at her paint covered face and body. "Your mom's case, all the people who got in our way especially motor cycle boy, he's just everything we fought so we could finally be together," he declared, leaning across to kiss her as she smiled against his lips.

"He's our baby Rick, we made him. This tiny little person is one hundred per cent us," Kate said quietly as Rick rested their son on his mat on the floor, the small boy moving as they watched in amazement. "I've had fun today," she admitted as he laced his fingers with hers and smiled at her.

"I never thought I would have fun painting a room," Rick admitted as Kate laughed and rested into his side. "I think we made some amazing memories today Kate," he whispered into her hair as she nodded, her eyes remaining focused on her son as she smiled to herself. This was all she wanted in her life! "Now when my mother gets back from her acting class, we are giving her Harry for an hour and we are going for that long hot bath you promised."

"Now I don't remember promising," she teased as he began to press kisses into her hair. "Do you think you're going to become more intimate every time you gain a memory?" Kate asked as he shrugged, a laugh leaving her lips as he kept her close.

"I don't know but I can't wait to find out."

**Just a random reasonably happy chapter to keep the balance as I kind make every chapter an angsty chapter. Please review, you're all so amazing at commenting and it means the world to me to know your thoughts on my chapters as well as anything you might like to see more of. I also will take requests for anything you might want me to go into greater detail about as I know I haven't really focused on what's happened to Tyson since he was arrested so whether that's something you'd like me to put in is up to you. **

**Anyway thank you for being so amazing and well, I'm getting back on track with my updates. **


	30. Chapter 30

"Hey, what are you doing?" Rick asked as he watched Kate walk out of the en-suite and move towards the wardrobe, the towel wrapped tightly around her body as she attempted to search out a pair of pyjamas. "You know, you could just go without the pyjamas," Rick commented as she glanced across at him before returning to the search. "I mean it's been a month Kate since Harry was born and I know you're not ready to have sex but it would be nice to cuddle…naked," Rick commented as she bit into her lip. "I'll even get naked too," he smirked as she rolled her eyes.

"You're happy to be naked Rick whenever you can be," she declared as he shrugged and laughed at her comment before falling silent.

"And you're not Kate? You have a gorgeous figure sweetheart and you should show it off," he announced as he quickly climbed out of the bed and moved towards her, his arms wrapping around her body as she groaned and shut her eyes for a moment, relaxing into his hold as his fingers began to move towards where the towel was fastened. "Come on Kate, you're so sexy," he whispered, his lips brushing against her neck as she shook her head. "You know you're sexy Katie, you know you're really sexy," he declared.

"I had a baby a month ago Rick, I'm not sexy at the moment. I'm just stretch marks and fat and not attractive," she moaned as he sighed and stepped away from her as she opened her eyes, looking at him as he glanced up and down at her. "What are you doing Richard?" she asked as he continued to watch her in amazement. "Castle," she warned.

"I was just taking in how absolutely stunning you are," Rick admitted as she groaned and crossed her arms, making sure that the towel was still tight around her body. "I don't think I've seen you naked since you had Harry sweetheart," he declared as she shut her eyes for a moment. "I've seen your breasts but only when you're feeding him Kate and well, you're so beautiful and it would be nice to just cuddle you," Rick explained as he sat down on the bed and watched her as she groaned and bit into her lip. "Sweetheart, do whatever makes you feel comfortable," he whispered before he slid back into bed and watched as she grabbed hold of her pyjamas and moved back towards the en-suite. "Kate." Sitting nervously in the bed as he waited for Kate to reappear, Rick sighed as he heard the light turn off in the other room before the door slowly opened and Kate walked out in her dressing gown. "Hey," he whispered.

"Hey," she said quietly before she sat down on the bed and moved the duvet around her before turning to face her husband. "Rick," she whispered as he leant across and slowly undid the tie around her waist that was keeping the dressing gown shut. Moving the material away from her, Rick smiled as he stared down at her naked body in amazement, her eyes shutting quickly as she moved to lie down in the bed.

"You're so beautiful Kate," he whispered as he tightly wrapped his arms around her and buried his face into her shoulder, not knowing what to say as she relaxed into his hold.

"Liar," she declared before he shook his head. "I must admit that this was a good idea though," Kate said quietly, turning in his arms to face him before she leant up and pressed a kiss to his lips. "I love you," she whispered against his lips before she shut her eyes and relaxed into his hold. Hearing their son starting to cry, Kate sighed as she sat up and heard Rick groan. "I knew this would happen the moment we relaxed," Kate said quietly as she grabbed her dressing gown off the floor, unable to stop herself from smiling when she felt Rick sit up behind her and press a kiss to her shoulder.

"My turn," Rick said quickly as Kate smiled and watched him climb out of the bed before pulling his boxers on and disappearing from sight. "You relax and I will go and get our beautiful little boy," he declared before almost running out of the room, her smile growing as she sit up slowly and held the blanket to her chest, waiting for her boys to return. Hearing the door open a few moments later, Kate smiled at the sight of her barely dressed husband holding their son to his chest in the small blanket that Harry adored. "There's your extraordinary mommy Harry," Rick smiled as he walked towards the bed and sat down beside her, the brunette smiling as she stared down at her little boy. "I wish I could remember all the amazing things your mommy and I have done since we started being a couple so I could tell you all our adventures and I wish I could remember how it felt to watch your mommy grow even more beautiful when she had you growing inside her," the writer explained as Kate watched him in amazement, taking in every single thing he said as she smiled to herself and ran her finger across her sons cheek.

"Your daddy is going to remember one day, he's going to remember all our memories and one day he'll tell you all these fantastic things we did in the first year of our marriage without any prompts," Kate whispered, leaning down to kiss Harry's head gently as the small body moved beneath her while making random noises that she adored. "You're our little baby Harry, our beautiful little boy," she said quietly to her son as she stared at him while Rick watched her. "I love you Harry William Castle, I love you so much."

XOXOOXXOOXOXOX

Entering the precinct with her son in her arms, Kate smiled at the familiar surroundings around her as she stepped out and moved towards her desk. Rick had taken Alexis to a doctor's appointment and she'd decided to visit the precinct with her month old son. She wanted to show Harry off to all the people she worked with, she wanted them all to see the new aspect to her life. Hearing a door open, Kate glanced across to see Gates walking towards her with a smile covering her face as she held her arms out for Harry.

"I was wondering when you'd come and show him off at work," Gates commented as she took Harry into her arms and smiled at the small boy. "He's absolutely lovely Beckett, you're very lucky," she admitted while Kate watched proudly, unable to take her eyes off her son as Gates continued to hold him close.

"Beckett," Ryan called out as she turned to face them and slowly moved towards her friends who had just left the break room. "How are Harry and Alexis doing?" he questioned as Kate smiled and nodded slowly, glancing across to see that Harry was still happily in Gates arms.

"Harry's doing absolutely fantastic and growing every single day and Alexis is slowly recovering, she's able to move around the loft a lot more and she's able to hold Harry now without us needing to be around to make sure she doesn't drop him," Kate stated as he nodded while Javier smiled at her in silence. "How's the case going?" she asked quietly as she moved to sit down at her desk, the two men following before resting against her desk.

"Strong, he'll never get out of jail with the evidence we have against him," Javier declared quickly as Kate nodded, watching as Gates walked over with Harry, the brunette smiling when she quickly took Harry back into her arms. "Hey baby boy," the cop declared, pressing her lips to his small curls while everyone watched her in amazement. She was so different around her son to the detective she was at work and it was amusing to watch the large smile that decorated her face every time she looked at the little boy in her arms. "Javi," Kate said quietly as he looked across at her. "Can we talk privately quickly?"

"Sure," he said quietly as Kate turned and passed Harry to Ryan before following the male detective into the break room, shutting the door behind her as she bit into her lip. "What's the matter then?" Javier asked as she bit into her lip, not knowing how to ask.

"I want to talk to Tyson," she stated as confusion covered his face. Why did she want to do that?

**I know it's short and it's taken me ages to write but I thought I'd develop their relationship a bit more and bring Tyson back into the plot. **


	31. Chapter 31

Stepping into the room slowly, Kate stared at the man who was sat on the other side of the room with a smirk covering his face. Sitting down in the chair quickly, Kate continued to stare at him as she tried to think about what to say to the man. She'd made the decision to come here, to visit him, and now she didn't know why she'd wanted too in the first place. What was she even doing? She'd lied to her husband, told him she was spending the day with Lanie and he'd promised to look after Harry and had even given her money to spoil herself with when she was supposed to be shopping! She had lied to her husband to come and visit the man who had tried to destroy them.

"So Detective Beckett how's your husband?" Tyson smirked as she smiled and stared down at her rings before glancing at the man again.

"He's good actually," Kate said simply as she continued to watch him, desperate not to come across as scared. This was the man who had shot Alexis, he was the man who had hired someone to try and kill her and her son. This man wanted to destroy anything to do with the name Richard Castle and she couldn't help but be slightly scared about him being in the same room as him. "We're all good actually," she declared, not knowing what else to say. "You've actually brought us closer Tyson. Our family is so much better because of what you did," she smirked before relaxing back in her chair and staring at him. "You're going to spend the rest of your life in here."

"I know," he declared.

"You're going to spend the rest of your life in this building Tyson while Rick's living his life, while he's married and having children and living every moment of his life," Kate declared quickly before standing and moving towards the door.

"What makes you think you're safe Detective Beckett?" Tyson asked quickly after a few moments of silence. "What makes you think that you're completely safe even though I'm here?" he declared as she remained still. "You all thought I had Alexis and I did but I also had you and your baby almost shot too Katherine Beckett and I was nowhere near where you were was I? I had someone with you all that time and you never knew," he smirked as she shut her eyes, realising that he was right. He had people everywhere, he'd managed to get a man into her security who had almost killed her and Harry. "I might be in here Kate but there are still people out there, people who with one word could kill that writer of yours so you better tell him to be careful Kate," he smirked as she knocked on the door and stepped out when the guard opened it. Moving down the corridor quickly, Kate stopped and ran her fingers through her hair before breathing out! She wanted her baby and she wanted her husband!

XOOXOXXOXOXO

Entering her apartment, Kate threw her purse onto the floor before kicking off her heeled shoes and moving further into her home. Running up the stairs quickly, Kate entered the nursery to find Rick on the floor while Harry played around on the blanket that was resting there. Shutting the door behind her, Kate watched as Rick glanced up and smiled at her quickly.

"Hey beautiful, have fun with Lanie?" Rick asked as she bit into her lip and moved to sit down beside him, a small smile covering her face as she brushed her fingers across Harry's chest before she turned to face her husband. "Kate, what's wrong?" the writer questioned as she found his hand and laced her fingers with his before she leant up and kissed him. "Katie," he whispered as she shut her eyes and rested against him.

"I lied to you about Lanie," she declared as he stared at her in confusion. "I didn't go out with Lanie today, I went to see Tyson instead," Kate said quietly as she clung onto his hand desperately. "I told Javi that I wanted to go and he sorted it out, I should have told you sooner but part of me just wanted to end all of this. To end everything to do with him in our lives so we could move on properly," Kate explained as Rick stared at her in shock, not knowing what to say as tears ran down her cheeks. "If it was a case I was working on, I would see the whole thing through. I would watch as the bastard got charged and taken away Rick," she whispered as she glanced quickly across at her son. "But this time, this time, I was in a hospital having my son when he was charged and I needed to end all of this."

"Kate," he whispered as she nodded slowly, her teeth biting into her bottom lip as he gently pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'm not angry, well I am," he admitted as he cupped her cheek. "I'm angry that you felt the need to lie to me about this but I'm not angry about you going to see him. You needed closure Kate," Rick declared as she continued to stare at him. "Kate, I'm happy because you're all safe and I know that but you, you need to see that the case is over and the bastard is locked away," he whispered, wrapping his arms tightly around her as she shut her eyes and buried her face into his chest. "Next time, don't feel the need to lie to me Kate. We're married, we have a child together."

"I don't even know why I lied," she whispered.

"Because some part of you still isn't used to being open to me, even though we're a family now," he stated quickly before kissing her quickly, the two of them glancing across at their son as he kicked his legs on the brightly coloured blanket. "Tyson is nothing to us now Kate. He's just a bad dream that we'll have occasionally but then we'll forget about," Rick declared as Kate nodded slowly. What if what Tyson had said was true? What if they were being watched by someone until Tyson made the decision to hurt them? Shouldn't she tell Rick? But he sounded so happy, so confident and she didn't want to terrify him. "Everything okay Katie?"

"Everything's fine Rick, I'm just happy to be home with my boys," she declared, moving away to lie down beside her son. "I love you."

"I love you too," Rick smiled, lifting Harry into his arms while Kate smiled and laughed at the two of them. She wasn't going to spend every hour of her life worrying over Tyson when she had a husband who adored her, a daughter who was intelligent and devoted to everything and everyone and a son she loved more than anything in the world! She wasn't going to lose any more time with her family because she had spent years grieving her mother and she wasn't going to lose any more family members or waste any more time. She was going to live her life now and Jerry Tyson wasn't going to stop her!

**Short chapter I know but I wanted to deal with this idea and then the next chapter we can start moving on with getting Rick's memory back and on their cute little family. I'm not particularly happy with the scene with Tyson but I think it was more about Kate just seeing that he was in jail and making sure that it had all ended even though it has also left her a bit panicked. **

**I'm thinking in the next chapter they could go to an event together or something but it depends on what you'd like to see so if you have any suggestions I will accept them. Any suggestions are welcomed or any memories you'd perhaps like to see me focus on would be brilliant to hear. Any idea helps me really; it prompts my brain although I am now revising for summer exams so my story isn't really a priority right now which does upset me. **

**Your reviews are amazing and always make me smile so please review, I love hearing from you, and it means so much to me. **


	32. Chapter 32

"Kate," Alexis stated as she entered the master bedroom to find Kate sitting on the bed with Harry resting on her thighs, the sound of the shower running in the en-suite and Rick's loud singing filling the master bedroom. "Can I take Harry out today?" she questioned as Kate immediately stared up and bit into her lip. What if someone really was watching them at the moment? What if someone took the opportunity to take both their children?

"Are you sure you're feeling up to it Alexis?" Kate questioned, trying to make up an excuse as Alexis sat down beside her and smiled, her fingers running across Harry's chest as Kate heard Rick sing even louder over the running water.

"Yeah, I want to take my baby brother out for some sibling time," Alexis explained as Kate glanced down at her son. What was she supposed to say? If she said no to Alexis then it would seem like she didn't trust the young woman with her son and if she said yes then she could be potentially putting them both in danger. "Please Kate, I just want to take him to the park, perhaps even to the shops. You and dad could do with a couple of hours alone and well, I'd love to spend some time with him outside of the apartment," the redhead explained as Kate sighed and lifted Harry into her arms and looked at Alexis.

"His travel bag is by the stroller," Kate said quietly before brushing her lips to Harry's head. "If you don't feel safe or if anything happens, call me and I will come and get you straight away," Kate stated as Alexis stared at her in confusion for a moment. "Look after him Lex and don't strain yourself," Kate sighed as she passed Harry to the redhead who quickly stood up and smiled at her.

"He'll be fine Kate, we'll have a great time," Alexis declared before she glanced down at her brother. "Say bye Harry," she smiled as Kate waved at her son as Alexis slowly carried him towards the door and disappeared from sight quickly. Running her hands through her hair as she heard the front door shut after a few moments, Kate sighed before the water was switched off in the bathroom and Rick entered the bedroom with a towel wrapped around his hips.

"Where's Harry?" Rick quickly asked as he moved towards the wardrobe and removed some clothes before turning to face his wife. "Hey, why do you look so worried?" he asked, moving to sit down beside her before he took hold of her hand and squeezed it gently. "Come on, no secrets detective."

"What if something happens to them Rick when we're not there? Alexis isn't exactly one hundred per cent healthy right now and well, Harry's only a couple of months old and I just let her…" she began before he laughed quickly and gently pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Nothing is going to happen to them Kate, they're both going to be fine Kate. Alexis knows New York like the back of her hand and everything is going to be okay, she'll call if anything goes wrong and it might be nice for the two of us to have some alone time for a moment," Rick suggested, his arm moving around her to bring her closer before she kissed him.

"You were singing in the shower again," she whispered against her lips as he leant over, knocking her back onto the bed before she shut her eyes and felt his lips on her neck. Groaning, Kate quickly opened her eyes before she sat up and glanced across at the room, Rick sighing as he moved away from her. "I want Harry back Rick," she stated as he sat up and moved to sit behind her, his hands massaging her shoulders as she shut her eyes. "What if what…" she began.

"What if what Kate?" the writer questioned before she shook her head and forced a smile onto her face.

"Nothing, just being stupid," Kate said quietly before turning to face him. "I'm sorry, I just miss him I guess," the brunette admitted, lying down beside him as he nodded slowly and kissed her gently.

"I could make you forget if you like Katie," Rick suggested as she rolled her eyes and laughed before kissing him again. "God I just had the weirdest thought," he moaned against her lips as her eyebrows rose. "I had this image of you in one of those sexy uniforms, like the ones in Star Trek and you were in these sexy shoes and then you had a mask on and it was terrifying, like a monster," he declared, smiling when Kate began to laugh. "Either that's a strange but slightly sexy memory or I am starting to come up with some really weird thoughts," he commented as she moved closer to him.

"Completely and utterly true," she whispered against his lips as he nodded and kissed her again. "Once I've lost some baby weight Rick, I could always model the outfit for you again, just without the mask this time," she suggested as he nodded quickly before holding her close.

"So you're a Star Trek fan?" Rick questioned as she groaned, her eyes shutting as she realised this was going to lead to a lot more teasing again from her husband. "God that's so sexy," he laughed, her eyes rolling before she kissed him again. "So want me to help you stop worrying about our son who is in the brilliant care of our daughter," Rick declared as Kate shrugged.

"Do your best Mr Castle," she smirked.

"Oh I will Mrs Castle."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Dad, Kate we're home," Alexis called out quickly as she pushed the stroller through the front door and smiled down at her sleeping brother. Shutting the door, Alexis sighed as she watched her father walk out of the master bedroom with a large smile covering his face. "Hey dad," she smiled as he entered the kitchen and turned to face her.

"How was your brother sister outing pumpkin?" Rick asked as he poured two glasses of water and stared at his daughter. "Want a drink?" the writer questioned as she shook her head and glanced across at her brother before sitting down on the couch. "So, how was your outing Lex?" he asked quickly, moving towards the couch as Alexis smiled and nodded.

"It was fun, we went for a walk around the park and then to the shops. I bought the most amazing t-shirt for Harry as well," Alexis smiled, taking out the small t-shirt as Rick stared at the image on the front. "Do you think Kate will like it?" she questioned as Rick took hold of the small item of clothing and laughed at the text 'my mother is kick-ass' that decorated the blue material.

"Kate will love it Alexis and she'll be really excited to see Harry as well," Rick smiled as confusion covered Alexis' face. "She's been worrying about him all morning," he commented as Alexis nodded and smiled as she heard the bedroom door open, her head turning to see Kate walking out with a large smile on her face.

"Welcome back, did you have fun?" Kate asked quickly as Alexis nodded while Rick held out the t-shirt, Kate quickly grabbing hold of it before she stared down at the message and laughed. "This is lovely Alexis," she declared, leaning down to press a kiss into the redhead's hair before she moved away and approached her son. "God he's completely out of it," Kate declared as she smiled down at the sleeping boy. "I might get you to do this more often."

"See I told you we'd be okay," Alexis smiled as Kate nodded slowly. She couldn't suffocate them, they need to live their lives and she couldn't stop them because of a threat Tyson had made without any evidence supporting the idea. "So did you two have any fun while we were out?" Alexis asked as the two adults fell silent and looked down while Alexis groaned before laughing when Rick quickly pulled Kate onto his lap when she walked past. "God you two act like teenagers more than adults," she commented in disgust as Rick began to press kisses into Kate's hair while the brunette bit into her lip to stop herself from laughing.

"You're only as old as you feel," Rick declared as Kate rolled her eyes at her husband, not knowing what to say as Alexis groaned and climbed off the sweetheart. "You okay sweetheart?"

"I'm going to go to bed and read a book, get away from you two lovebirds," she declared before running up the stairs while Kate laughed and rested her head against Rick's shoulder.

"I think we just scared your daughter," Kate commented while Rick rested a hand on her stomach. "I had a nice time this morning."

"Nice? Only nice," he laughed as she rolled her eyes at him quickly. "I think this morning was pretty extraordinary actually, just the two of us all alone, making love," he whispered into her air as she shut her eyes for a moment. "I love you Katherine Castle."

"I love you too," she whispered before the phone started to ring.

"I'll get that," Rick stated, moving her off his lap before grabbing the house phone, his smile growing as he turned to look at her. "Castle," he immediately stated down the phone as Kate pulled a face at him. "Oh hi Gina," he moaned as Kate sat up slowly, watching as his smile disappeared. "Sure, I'll be there tomorrow," he declared before saying goodbye and hanging up.

"What's wrong?" Kate asked quickly as she stood up and approached her husband. "Castle," she whispered.

"Gina wants me to go to a meeting tomorrow morning," Rick stated as she nodded slowly.

"So? We didn't have any plans for tomorrow," Kate stated as he groaned and moved to sit down beside her, pulling her onto his lap as she groaned. "Rick, stop with the pulling me everywhere," she sighed as he buried his head against his shoulder. "Come on, what's the matter?" she asked quickly as he held her tightly against him. "Castle."

"I wanted to take you and Harry out for breakfast, perhaps to go and see your dad," Rick stated as she sighed.

"We could do that after your meeting, maybe not breakfast but we could always go for lunch and then go and see dad," Kate explained as he shook his head.

"I don't even know why she'd want to see me; she knows I'm not writing the book at the moment and I'm not going on any tours or publicity things while Harry is so little and I don't have a proper memory," Rick explained as Kate sighed and relaxed back into his hold before smiling. "Do I have to go?"

"Yes, she's your editor and you don't want to upset her," Kate declared as he shrugged. "She probably has some amazing opportunity that you won't want to turn down and will be brilliant for you and your career," Kate explained as he laughed. "It might be another movie deal or something else that's amazing."

"I think you rather love my career Kate," he commented as she turned to face him.

"I'm not a big fan of the publicity but I do love it," she whispered as he brushed his fingers across her hair. "I love the charity events and feeling like we're doing something to help others and I love when we go travelling," she declared.

"You've gone on a book tour with me?" he asked as she nodded and watched as he stared at her. "Tell me."

"We took a month off work, Gates was so angry when I asked her for the time off but I worked loads of overtime to make up for it," Kate explained as Rick nodded slowly. "We went to Europe," she stated as Rick leant in and kissed her gently. "We went to Italy, Spain, Germany, everywhere you can imagine," Kate admitted as Rick smiled. "You would work most of the day and I would go and see some of the sights and then in the evenings we would go for dinner and late night walks and it was amazing," Kate explained as he smiled. "It was really romantic as well."

"I'm a romantic man at heart," Rick declared as she rolled her eyes. "So I took you on a romantic walk every night."

"Yes you did," she smiled. "We'd just got engaged and it was your wonderful idea on how to spoil me," she explained before kissing him quickly. "We should go again when Harry's a bit older, show him all the amazing places we went," Kate stated as he nodded.

"We should definitely go again so I can get my memory back as well," he stated as she rolled her eyes again before sighing. "We've had some adventures haven't we?" Rick declared quickly as she nodded.

"Richard Castle, I've realised our whole life is some crazy messed up adventure," she stated, sighing when Harry began to cry. "And this is just our next chapter of craziness."

**Review, please? **


	33. Chapter 33

**I tried writing a chapter that followed the last with the meeting with Gina and the lunch with Jim but honestly, I couldn't find anything that I was happy with so I decided to go with what Gina had planned in the meeting and have Jim come in related to that instead. Sorry for anyone who was interested in that scene but it really wasn't working for me and this way I could put more amnesia into the story.**

"What do you think?" Kate asked as she turned to look at Alexis, the redhead smiling as she looked at the brunette. Kate was dressed in a deep green dress that flowed naturally over her figure without clinging on too tight while showing some cleavage. "Do you think I look okay? No extreme baby weight on show?" the brunette quested as Alexis shook her head and smiled the older woman who was still staring at herself in the mirror.

"You look beautiful Kate, stop worrying," Alexis whispered as she walked over to the brunette and hugged her for a moment. "Dad isn't going to be able to take his eyes off you all night," the redhead stated as Kate laughed and found the bracelet that Rick had bought her for a present after a year of dating. "He'll be home soon, he went to collect your dad," Alexis explained as Kate nodded and moved towards Harry, lifting him out of the stroller he'd been sleeping in before holding him close to her chest.

"Mommy and daddy are going out tonight baby boy," Kate whispered to him as Alexis slowly left the room. "But we'll be home later tonight," she explained before sighing. She didn't want to leave her baby especially for a press event that neither her or Rick really wanted to go too. Gina was determined to get Rick back into the papers and Martha had persuaded her to take the evening off to go and enjoy herself. "You be a good boy for your grandparents tonight and make mommy proud," Kate whispered to him, knowing that Martha and Jim were looking forward to spoiling their grandchild. "Your grandparents love you baby and mommy and daddy are only a phone call away if you're really desperate." Hearing the front door open, Kate sighed as she walked out slowly to find her husband and father stood in the corridor talking with Alexis, her smile growing when Rick turned to face her with a large smile covering his face.

"You look beautiful Katie," Rick admitted as he walked towards her before gently kissing her, her smile growing against his lips as he brushed his fingers against her cheeks. "Are you ready to go?" Rick asked as she bit into her lip and glanced down at the baby in her arms, suddenly desperate not to let him out of her arms. "Kate?"

"I'll just go and put him to bed before we go," Kate commented before walking towards the stairs and disappearing while Jim approached his son in law.

"She doesn't want to leave does she?" Rick asked as Jim shook his head, laughing when Rick quickly ran up the stairs and towards the nursery. Stepping inside, Rick sighed at the sight of his wife sat in the rocking chair with Harry close to her chest, her eyes shut as she continued to hum. "Kate you don't have to go if you don't feel ready, I could go on my own tonight," Rick declared as she opened her eyes and looked at him.

"No, it'll look weird if I'm not there," the brunette explained as she kept Harry close to her body, still desperate to keep him close.

"We'll call every ten minutes if you really want too," Rick declared as she nodded and shut her eyes again, not knowing what to say as she moved to stand up while keeping Harry in her arms. "Kate, we don't have to go if you're not ready. You two are the only people who matter to me, my fans are important yes but I'm a father and husband first and if you're not ready to leave Harry for a night then we won't."

"I don't think I'll ever be ready," Kate admitted as Rick nodded and sighed. "The idea of leaving my baby boy all on his own without either of us here scares me. I know our parents looked after us but it was a long time ago and what if he gets ill or starts crying," the brunette whispered as she moved to rest him in his cot before sighing. "Our perfect little boy," Kate stated as she watched Harry while Rick watched her.

"Come on, I know it's hard but you need to be Kate for a while, not just mommy," he declared as he brought his hand to rest on her hip. "We'll go out, have a few pictures taken, and talk to some people and then we'll come home and you can cuddle him for as long as you want," Rick said quickly as Kate nodded and sighed before turning to face him. "I promise that he'll be okay Kate."

"I know but he's never been on his own without us and never for this long and he's been fussy all day Rick," she explained, allowing Rick to hold her tightly before he stared at her. "I don't think today is a good day to leave him Rick, I'm not sure he's one hundred per cent."

"Kate, he's probably feeling that you're stressed and is reacting to that," he explained as Kate glanced down at her son. "Kate, you need some time to yourself away from being mommy and we can come home if you feel like you need too."

"Okay let's go now or I'll change my mind and we'll never leave," she announced, moving away from her husband before she pressed a kiss to her son's forehead and moved towards the door, allowing the writer to kiss his son's forehead as well before he joined her and wrapped his arm around her hips. Walking down the stairs, Kate sighed at the sight of their parents watching him before glancing up at Rick. Was she really ready to do this? Was she really ready to leave her son without either of his parents? Was Harry really okay?

"Kate, I promise he'll be fine darling and we'll keep the phone with us everywhere we go," Martha promised before kissing her cheek gently and smiling at her daughter in law. "I promise, he will be fine darling, we will keep him perfectly safe."

"I know you will," Kate whispered before sighing and moving away and taking Rick's hand. "Don't laugh if I call you a million times tonight for stupid reasons," she smiled as Rick led her towards the door, her smile growing as she cuddled into his side and left the apartment. "We're leaving our baby Castle."

"We're not leaving him Kate; you make it sound like we're abandoning him. We've gone out for an evening out," he explained before leading her into the elevator while their fingers laced together. "Please try and enjoy yourself tonight Kate. You've not had a night out since we had Harry Kate and you look so beautiful right now," Rick begged before he kissed her quickly and held her tightly to his body. "You look extraordinary tonight Mrs Castle, as always."

XOXOXOXOXOXXO

"And how is your baby?" the perfectly dressed woman Kate had just been introduced asked as the brunette glanced across to see Rick talking to some of the few reporters who'd been allowed into the event.

"He's absolutely perfect thank you," Kate admitted as the woman smiled at her, knowing that everyone wanted to know about Harry. They'd been keeping quiet on Harry to the press and their disappearance from public life to be more private because of Harry and Rick's memory loss was creating a large amount of interest amongst everyone. "He gets bigger every day and his personality just shines through," the detective explained.

"He's your first child isn't he?" the woman questioned as Kate nodded.

"He's my first, Rick's second," Kate explained as the blonde smiled before excusing herself and moved to talk to someone else, Kate's smile growing when she felt Rick's arms move around her body. "I want to call your mom," she declared as he groaned and rested his forehead against her shoulder. "I just want to make sure that he's okay."

"Come and dance with me for a few minutes and then we'll call," Rick begged as she turned to face him before nodding silently. Leading her to the dance floor, Rick smiled as he wrapped his arms around her before they slowly began to sway to their music. "I love dancing with you," he admitted as her eyebrows rose.

"When we first met it seemed something that you'd never do," Rick explained as she remained silent in his arms. "Partnering me, letting me lead you on the dance floor," the writer explained as he kept her close. "The more you started to trust me and love me, the closer you'd get to me and now you're as close as physically possible," he whispered as she buried her face into his neck, not knowing what to say.

"We've danced a lot over the years haven't we?" Kate commented as he nodded. "That first dance."

"God you looked unbelievably beautiful in that red dress and your hair, you were so extraordinary as always," the writer explained as she nodded. "And the next time, when I dragged you to another event and you wore that black dress that went so far down to reveal so much of your cleavage," he commented as Kate laughed, remembering his reaction when she'd walked out of her bedroom to reveal the extremely low cut black dress she'd spent hours shopping for with Lanie to impress her new boyfriend at the time. "You were flirting the whole evening, kissing me the whole time and refusing to let go of me."

"Was not," she said quickly as his eyebrows rose.

"Katherine Castle you refused to let me go, you wanted the world to know that I was your boyfriend," he declared as she bit into her lip to stop herself from laughing at the memory. She had been possessive that evening because she was making sure everyone knew that Richard Castle was hers. "We danced most of that evening and you were so close to me."

"I like being close to you," she admitted as he stared at her. "I know I used to act like this stubborn person who wanted to do everything alone but dating you and well, marrying you, was the best decision I'd ever made," Kate explained before leaning up and kissing him as he laughed. "Letting you into my life was the best decision I've ever made and having Harry and letting myself have a family and be more than a detective has given me everything I've ever wanted," Kate declared as he held her close to his body while they continued to dance to the music with large smiles on their faces.

"You're a wonderful mommy detective and you're a fantastic wife too," Rick stated as she continued to stare at him in amazement. "Go and call mother, see if Harry's okay," he leant down as she smiled and kissed him before lacing her fingers with his. "What?"

"Come and call with me," she smiled as he nodded and followed her out of the main room to find somewhere quiet that they could call and ask about their son. Dialling the apartment's number, Kate waited desperately for someone to answer before she heard the sound of someone answer the phone while Harry screamed in the background.

"Katie," Kate heard her father answer as panic covered her face.

"Dad what's wrong with Harry? Why's he crying?" Kate immediately questioned as Rick noticed the fear that was decorating her face. "Dad is everything okay?" Kate questioned as she glanced up at her husband to see the worry that was covering his face as well as his hand moved to rest on the small of her back. "Dad, will you just tell me what's going on with my son?"

"Harry's just got a little bit of a temperature Katie, nothing to worry about," Jim stated as Kate bit into her lip and felt Rick pull her closer.

"I'm coming home dad," Kate immediately declared.

"Sweetheart, you should be enjoying yourself tonight with Rick. Stop worrying sweetheart, it's just a cold and he'll be fine," the older man explained quickly as Kate continued to shake her head while Rick forced her to remain close to him so he could hear his father in law down the phone as well.

"If he's sick I should be there, I'm his mother," Kate stated; her determination obvious as Rick stared at her. He wasn't going to stop her, if she wanted to go back to their son he was going to take her and make sure they were both okay because she was terrified right now. "I'm coming home," she declared, the sound of her son screaming making her heart break. "I'm coming home right now," Kate explained as tears filled her eyes, her father reluctantly agreeing before she hung up and glanced at her husband. "I'm sorry, I know you wanted to enjoy tonight."

"I have enjoyed tonight but Harry comes first and you knew there was something wrong, I should have listened to you," Rick admitted as she shook her head.

"I didn't think it was anything major, I didn't think it would lead to a temperature," she explained as he led her towards the exit, desperate to get her home before she started really panicking.

XXOXOXOXOXOX

"Kate," Martha said in shock as Kate almost ran into the apartment and quickly took her son into her arms, her smile growing slightly as she took hold of the screaming baby and began to hum to him. "How was the event?" the redhead asked when Rick entered the room and stared at his terrified wife who was cradling their son desperately close to her body. "Kate, he's going to be okay darling. It's probably just a cold and he'll be fine," the redhead promised as Jim walked into the room and smiled weakly at the writer who was still staring at Kate.

"Kate sweetheart, why don't you take Harry upstairs?" Rick suggested as she nodded and walked towards the stairs, disappearing from sight quickly before Rick stared at the two older people in the room. "What happened?" the writer immediately asked.

"He ate fine, he was completely fine but then his temperature started to increase," Jim explained as Martha nodded in agreement. "We called a doctor and he'll be here soon, we thought we better get one here as quickly as possible to calm Kate down," he admitted as Rick sighed.

"Thank you for looking after him tonight, Kate needed a break even if it was for two hours," Rick admitted as the two of them smiled. "Jim feel free to stay tonight, the spare room is sorted if you want to stay and Kate would probably love to spend some more time with you," he explained as the older man nodded and watched his son in law disappear up the stairs after Kate. Entering the nursery, Rick sighed at the sight of Kate in the rocking chair with Harry against her breast, her eyes almost shut as tears ran down her cheeks. "You feel guilty."

"I knew there was something wrong, I should have stayed," Kate declared as her son continued to feed. "I don't think he's too ill, he's eating like normal and his temperature has slightly gone down," she explained as Rick moved and rested on the arm of the chair while Kate shook her head.

"Your dad has a doctor coming," Rick admitted as Kate sighed. "It's probably just a cold Katie, they get colds easily at this age and it ultimately makes them healthy," he stated as she nodded. "Alexis got colds all the time when she was a baby; he'll be fine I promise."

"I know, I just don't like the idea of him being sick," Kate declared as Harry moved away from her. "Take him for me," she whispered, letting Rick take him from her arms as she moved to sort out her dress, the sound of a knock at the bedroom door making them both sit up.

"Richard, Kate, the doctor's here," Martha stated as Kate shut her eyes and heard the door open and more people enter the room.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Turning in the bed, Rick sighed to find the space beside him empty before he slowly moved off the bed and walked out of the room. He knew she probably was and he wanted to make sure that she wasn't still beating herself up about leaving Harry for two hours with what had been now been identified as a cold. Approaching the nursery, Rick slowly pushed the door open to find Kate lying on the floor asleep with a blanket over her body while Harry slept in the cot peacefully for the first time. There was one thing no-one could disagree about and that was the fact that Kate was putting as much dedication and passion into her role as mother as she did with everything out.

**What do you think? Please review, I love hearing from you and I know this chapter is a bit odd and I don't think I described Rick very well with the whole Harry being ill situation but I think Rick would be a lot more relax because he's done it before with Alexis and Kate's never been a mother before and it's the first time Harry's ever been ill. Anyway please let me know what you think and I will try and review again soon. **

**Also, I've had another story idea and I was wondering who would be interested if I started writing another story which would be another AU Kate/Rick story. **


	34. Chapter 34

"Kate honey, you could have noticed it any sooner," Rick stated as he entered their bedroom to find her lying in bed. She looked exhausted but after two days of her spending every moment with their son, even when he was fast asleep, it was finally catching up with her. Harry had recovered and she was finally taking the chance to relax and catch up on her sleep. "I know you're still beating yourself up about it but you have been the most amazing mother to him and you've given him everything you could have, like you always do."

"I should have done more," she whispered, the writer sighing as he kicked his shoes off and slipped into the bed, his arms sneaking around her body as she shut her eyes slowly. "I was a bad mother, I should have realised sooner. I should have taken him to the doctor," Kate declared as the writer turned her to face him, frustration covering his face as she looked at him silently.

"You are not a bad mother Katherine Castle! You adore that little boy and you did everything you possibly could and Harry is going to get ill. If he gets ill now, it'll mean he's healthier when he's older and that's what we want," he explained before leaning in and kissing her. "And you have done everything he needed," Rick stated as she bit into her lip and rested her head into his shoulder, not knowing what else to say as she remained silent in his arms. "Harry is feeling much better and you've given him so much help over the past few days like you always do," he explained as she stared up at him for a moment before kissing him again.

"Always do?" she asked.

"When Alexis had food poisoning that time after mother was allowed to cook and then there was the time I had the flu, you looked after us without a complaint. You even took a week off work when I had the flu Kate just so you could be here for me," he explained as she smiled, glad to see that he was gaining more memory of their past. "You read to Alexis and watched films with her and you cuddled with me and gave me all the medication I needed even when I complained, you stayed up with me when I was sick. Kate you are so dedicated to your family and you couldn't have done any more for Harry or for us when we were sick," Rick declared as she bit into her lip, taking in what he was saying to her. "You were meant to be a mother Kate and you've been amazing."

"Thank you," she whispered before yawning. "I'm going to try and catch up on my sleep, can you keep an eye on…?" she began before Rick laughed and nodded, moving to sit up as she remained beside him perfectly still.

"I'll look after Harry, you need to have a break Kate," Rick stated before he climbed out of the bed and leant down to press a kiss into her dark curls, her smile growing as she shut her eyes. "I love you sleepy," he whispered before turning off the lamp and leaving the room, glancing back when he reached the door to find her lying perfectly still in the middle of the bed with her face buried into his pillow. His perfect wife, his beautiful wife and he was going to make sure that she was looked after like she looked after all of them! Walking out of the room, Rick smiled at the sight of Alexis lying across the couch with Harry in her arms, a large smile covering her face when she looked up at her father.

"Dad, can I talk to you about something?" Alexis asked as he nodded and moved to sit down beside her. "Dad I think it's time I went back to college," she stated as shock covered his face. Alexis wanted to go back to college? She wanted to leave to go to another part of the country. She wanted to leave him and their family. Noticing the shock that was covering her father's face, Alexis sighed as she looked down at her brother before shaking her head. "Dad I've recovered a lot since I was shot. Dad I need to go back to college, I need to start getting on with my life. I know you're scared about me leaving in case something like that happens again but I can't keep hiding in this apartment dad, not for the rest of my life."

"Alexis," Rick muttered.

"Dad please, I want to go back to college now and I would prefer if you'd agree because I'm going whether you like it or not," she stated before passing Harry to her father and standing up. "I'll leave you to think about it but I'm going upstairs to read," she announced before disappearing in the direction of her bedroom, the writer shutting his eyes as he cuddled Harry close to him.

"What am I going to do Harry? Your big sister wants to go back to college," he whispered before leaning down and pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Don't grow up too quickly Harry, I like having someone to look after," he muttered before shaking his head and relaxing back on the couch. "Let's watch some Star Wars while your mommy's asleep," he declared, turning the television on the remote as the movie began to play from where he'd left it the previous evening. "Father and son time Harry, father and son time."

XOOXOXOOXOXOXO

"My boys," Kate sighed as she walked out of the bedroom to find Rick fast asleep on the couch with Harry asleep on his chest, her smile growing when she quickly took a picture on her cell phone before sliding it back into her pocket and moving towards the kitchen. Pouring herself a glass of water, Kate quickly took a sip of the cold liquid before turning to face the two men in her life. Her boys, her beautiful boys!

"Kate," Alexis' voice quickly stated as Kate glanced across to see the redhead standing on the stairs. "Can I talk to you about something?" she questioned as Kate nodded and watched her walk towards her before they both moved to sit on the kitchen side, Kate's smile growing as she glanced across at the younger woman. "I told dad that I want to go back to college and he didn't react very well," she admitted as Kate bit into her lip.

"Are you sure you're ready for that?" Kate questioned as the redhead nodded. "If I'm honest, I don't want you to leave but that's because I'm not ready for you to go," she admitted, knowing that she was scared about what Tyson had said more than anything. She knew that Alexis was fed up of being in the apartment and wanted to escape, desperate to get back to work and to her friends. "I think if you feel ready Alexis and you need to go back to college then you have to go but promise me you'll stay safe," she promised as Alexis smiled and cuddled into her side while Kate wrapped an arm around her body. "You have to stay safe for me Alexis and you have to call or contact us daily if you go."

"You'll look after dad while I'm gone, make sure he doesn't miss me too much," Alexis commented as Kate glanced down at the redhead who she was sat with.

"I don't think that possible Alexis, he's always going to miss you because you're his baby but you need to start getting on with your life now," Kate declared before pressing a kiss into her hair. "And you'll visit as well, we'll visit you too so he won't have the chance to miss you."

"Make sure Harry doesn't forget me either," Alexis quickly added.

"Oh he'll never forget you Alexis Castle, you're his big sister," Kate smiled before cuddling her step-daughter close to her body, not wanting to let her go. Alexis needed to leave, she needed to live her life and while Kate was terrified that there was something was going to happen to the redhead she couldn't stop the younger woman living her life. "If you go, you keep safe and you don't take any stupid chances," she stated, not wanting to let her go.

"Persuading dad's going to be harder though," Alexis whispered as Kate nodded in agreement.

"He'll come around but you're still his little girl Alexis and you were shot and he still blames himself sometimes," Kate explained before climbing off the kitchen side and moving towards the couch to see that Rick's eyes were opened. "How long have you been awake Castle?" she questioned, glancing across to Alexis shaking her head in amusement.

"Long enough," he declared as Kate rolled her eyes before leaning down to kiss him. "Lex," Rick called out before his daughter moved towards the couch and stared at her father and her fast asleep brother. "If you really want to go back to college, go," he smiled as the redhead beamed at her what her father had just agreed too. "You look after yourself Alexis and you don't strain yourself trying to be your usual superwoman of amazing, you take it easy and enjoy yourself," Rick announced as she nodded quickly before smiling in excitement.

"Thank you daddy," she replied before quickly disappearing up the stairs while Rick looked up at his wife who was biting into her lip nervously.

"Kate?" he asked.

"Yes," she whispered before glancing down at her husband and forcing a smile onto her face. "I'm fine," she commented, her fingers brushing across Harry's back as she fell silent. "It'll be weird not having Alexis here, it just being us again."

"We've never been here with Harry without Alexis," Rick commented as Kate nodded, moving to sit on the arm of the couch. "Maybe when Alexis goes back to college, perhaps we could go to the Hamptons. A little Castle family holiday, let us get away from everything that's happened recently," he declared as Kate nodded, leaning down to kiss him quickly as his smile grew against her lips. "I take that as a yes."

"I'd love to go on a little family holiday with you," Kate admitted before glancing across at the television that was starting to replay Star Wars. "Richard Castle, Star Wars really?" she asked as he shrugged.

"I am just bringing my son up on the best Kate," he declared while Kate shook her head and moved to sit on the other couch, staring at her husband and son in amazement. "You feeling better?" he asked as the brunette nodded and relaxed back in the chair, unable to take her eyes off the two men in her life. "Sun, sea and sand. I think we deserve it."

"I agree," Kate immediately stated. They definitely needed a holiday; they needed a break away from everything that had happened and the chance to be the family that they were.

**The next chapter will probably be saying goodbye to Alexis as she returns to college and Caskett and Harry going on their family holiday. Hopefully you enjoy this chapter and review, I love hearing from you and well any ideas you have I would love to hear them. **


	35. Chapter 35

Walking down the corridor, Kate stopped when she heard sobbing outside Alexis' bedroom, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip before she knocked gently on the door. Pushing it open after a few moments, Kate sighed at the lump in the bed that was clearly Alexis buried underneath all her blankets, the sobs coming from the redhead as Kate crept forwards. Sitting down, Kate quickly pulled the duvet away before glancing down at Alexis' tearful face while the younger woman brushed the tears away.

"Bad dream?" Kate asked as Alexis shook her head slowly in disagreement. "What's wrong? You can tell me."

"I heard a loud bang outside; I thought it was…" she began before shaking her head again, clearly frustrated at how stupid she was acting. "You should be asleep Kate, you're going on holiday tomorrow and dad will want to take Harry into the sea the moment you get there," Alexis blurted out, trying to move onto another topic as Kate sighed.

"Can I stay for a minute?" Kate asked as Alexis remained silent. "I just want to talk," she admitted before Alexis nodded and shuffled over in the bed, creating space for the brunette to lie down beside her. "When I was shot, every loud noise terrified me," Kate explained as Alexis glanced across at her. "I thought after a few months it was gone but then one day I was working on this case and I could hear the gun shots everywhere, I was terrified and I thought I was alone and no one would understand how I was feeling," she declared, shutting her eyes as the younger woman listened silently beside her. "Javi helped me."

"How?" Alexis asked quietly as Kate smiled weakly and turned to face her. "How did he help you?"

"He reminded me that it's okay to be scared and that it'll be okay in the end. He reminded me that sometimes you have to face your fears in order to recover," Kate admitted as she found Alexis' hand. "I had to hold a sniper, a sniper like the one that had almost killed me and once I was able to do that, I started to feel like I was in control again. Like I was slowly in control of my body and my mind again," Kate explained, her arms wrapping around Alexis when she cuddled into her side. "I should have told you this earlier but…"

"I'm scared that I'll look like a freak at college," Alexis admitted. "You understand Kate, you understand all of this but people at college probably won't. It's bad enough that I was shot; everyone will want to discuss it and know about it but if one loud noise makes me panic and start crying what are people going to think?" Alexis questioned as Kate sighed and gently pressed a kiss into her hair.

"People will understand and they'll be people you can talk too. Your dad and I are also only a phone call away and we'll come and visit whenever you want," Kate explained as she glanced down to see Alexis' eyes shut. "I should go, let you get some sleep before tomorrow."

"Stay," Alexis whispered as Kate held her close. "I love that you married my dad Kate," Alexis smiled as Kate laughed. "You make him really happy Kate, you always have. He's been a different person since he met you and he's begun to act like an adult slowly since he started working with you," the redhead explained as Kate rolled her eyes.

"Alexis I don't think your dad will ever be an adult really," Kate declared, Alexis nodding quickly in agreement before they both laughed. "The only time he's ever really woken up before the alarm clock has gone off was because he's come up with a new chapter idea or he wanted to start playing on the new video game to beat Esposito's score," she explained as Alexis smiled. "But I still love him, even if some mornings I wake up to the sound of him screaming at a video game while shooting at animated people and he'd been playing against Esposito for hours."

"I like that you haven't tried to change dad though, you've accepted him for who he is," Alexis said quietly as she remained cuddled up against the older woman.

"I don't think our relationship would have worked if I'd tried to change him, it's what makes us work Alexis and his childish side brings out my fun side a lot more," Kate smiled before holding her close and shutting her eyes, the two of them falling silent as they allowed themselves to fall asleep.

XOXOOXXOXOXOX

Entering the kitchen with Harry in her arms, Kate smiled at the sight of Alexis hugging Martha tightly as the older woman whispered to her, Rick moving towards his wife before leaning down to kiss her gently.

"You weren't in bed when I woke up and by the feel of it Kate, you hadn't been there for a long time. Were you okay?" Rick asked gently as she nodded and smiled when Harry squealed loudly in her arms. "Are you going to stay here and pack while I take Alexis to college?" he asked as she bit into her lip. She knew that she should allow Rick to have some time alone with his daughter before she went back to college and she also knew that she needed to get ready for their holiday but she was also concerned about not being with Alexis when she left. "You can come if you want Kate, it's just an idea."

"No, I should stay here with Harry and get ready for our holiday," Kate said quietly before passing Harry to Rick before moving towards the younger woman. "I'm going to stay here with Harry," Kate explained when Martha moved away to make herself a coffee.

"I thought you would," Alexis smiled as she wrapped her arms around the other woman. "You'll come and visit with Harry won't you?" she asked as Kate nodded, knowing that Alexis was worried about her brother not remembering her. "You'll make sure he remembers me," she whispered as Kate nodded.

"It'll be impossible for him to forget you Alexis," Kate promised as Alexis laughed and looked up at her quickly. "And we'll come and visit and it'll be the holidays soon so you can come and we'll let you babysit whenever you want," she declared as Alexis slowly moved towards her father, taking Harry into her arms as everyone watched her in silence.

"Don't forget me Harry, you have to remember me little brother," Alexis whispered before leaning down and pressing a kiss to Harry's head. "I'll come and visit you lots and you'll have to come and visit me," the redhead declared as Kate moved towards her husband and slowly felt his arms wrap around her body before he pressed a kiss into her dark hair.

"I love our family Kate," Rick said quietly as Kate glanced back to look at him, kissing him as she laughed against his lips. "I love you."

"I love you too," Kate smiled against his lips before they looked across at their daughter who was still cuddling Harry. "You need to go soon," Kate said quietly as Rick nodded, tightening his hold of his wife as Kate shook her head slowly. "Castle," she whispered.

"I know that she's been at college for a while but it feels like I'm saying goodbye for the first time. Like she's leaving all over again for the first time," Rick admitted as he buried his face into her cherry scented hair and sighed, feeling stupid.

"That's understandable," Kate commented, watching as Alexis walked towards her, Kate moving as the redhead smiled at her father.

"I think we should go now dad or I won't leave," Alexis commented as Rick nodded and watched Kate take Harry from his sister and smile. "I'll see you soon," the redhead smiled as she grabbed her bag and smiled at her family while Rick moved silently towards the door, hating the idea of his daughter not being home with him.

"We'll see you soon Alexis," Kate smiled, watching as the two Castle's slowly walked out of the apartment.

"I bet he cries when they say goodbye," Martha commented as Kate shook her head at her mother in law. "Here, let me take Harry and you can go and pack for your holiday in peace," Martha smiled, taking her grandson into her arms as Kate smiled at her.

"Thank you," Kate declared as Martha shrugged.

"Better to have a peaceful morning because Richard's going to be miserable later," the older woman stated before slowly walking up the stairs with her grandson while Kate moved towards her bedroom. Rick was saying goodbye to Alexis for the first time in his mind, she was leaving home for the first time to him and he had to leave her at college again and she knew how much it had hit him last time!

XOOXOXOXOXXOXO

"This is nice pumpkin," Rick commented as he entered his daughter's bedroom, taking in how it was decorated as Alexis laughed and moved to sit down on her bed while her father glanced at the numerous photographs that covered her wall. "When was this?" Rick asked, pointing at an image of him on crutches with Kate and Alexis cuddled into each of his sides. "I broke something?" he asked.

"You went skiing with Kate and decided to show off," Alexis smiled as she moved to stand with her father. "She arranged this amazing party for you because it was nearly your birthday and you were stuck in the apartment. It was amazing and you fell for the whole thing, we were terrified when you arrived because you seemed so angry with her," Alexis admitted as confusion covered his face. "Kate rented the apartment across the street and made it look like this man had murdered his girlfriend and you'd seen the whole thing," she explained, the two of them moving to sit down on her bed. "It seemed like you were the only one who believed she'd been murdered and on your birthday you insisted that this woman was in the fridge so Kate went over and made it look like she'd been attacked," Alexis described.

"Sounds brilliant," Rick laughed as Alexis nodded.

"You loved it dad, she did such an amazing job," the redhead declared as Rick's arm wrapped around her. "I will come and visit you all the time dad," she said quietly after a moment of silence. "But I need to be at college."

"I know, it just feels like you're moving out for the first time again," Rick explained as Alexis nodded slowly. "Does it get easier?" Rick asked.

"What?" Alexis questioned.

"Saying goodbye," Rick explained as Alexis shrugged and cuddled into his side. "I hope Harry doesn't grow up as fast as you did pumpkin," he admitted as Alexis laughed before standing up and glancing up at her photos again. "I don't think I could deal with two grown up children."

"Maybe you and Kate should have some more children then," Alexis teased as Rick bit into his lip, realising that he was actually married to Kate and could have that. They could have lots of children if they wanted. "Well, let Harry get a bit older and we can try and get your memory completely back and then you can start having more babies."

"I don't even know if Kate wants more children," Rick admitted as he turned to face his daughter who was smiling at him. "What?"

"Kate wants more children dad, you can see it whenever you see her with Harry," Alexis declared before kissing his cheek. "You should go dad or you'll never leave," Alexis finally announced as the writer nodded slowly and tightly wrapped his arms around her body. "We've done it before daddy, we manage."

"I'm still not used to you being at home," Rick whispered. "You're still my little girl, my beautiful little girl and to me you're not ready to be at college."

"Unfortunately dad I've been at college for a few years now. I'm not a little girl anymore," Alexis smiled as he laughed and nodded. "I'll be okay daddy, I promise."

"I know you will be but I don't think I'll be okay," Rick announced as his daughter squeezed his hand tightly.

"When I first left it was just you and grams living in the apartment, you had only just started dating Kate. Now you have Kate and Harry living with you, you're married dad and you're not alone and I'll come and visit so much," the redhead promised before she leant up and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "You should go, you want to make it to the Hamptons before it gets dark so you can show Harry the sea," Alexis smiled as he nodded slowly.

"Why are you so wonderful?" Rick asked as Alexis shrugged before walking towards the door, opening it for him as he followed her slowly. "You call if you need anything," he insisted as she nodded, watching as he began to leave. "I love you pumpkin."

"I love you too."

XOXXOOXOXXOXOXO

"How was it?" Kate asked as she continued to drive, her focus on the road as Rick continued to look back at their sleeping son. "Castle," she whispered.

"Difficult," he answered quietly. "She's my little girl and she's still hurt Kate. What if something else happens? I should be protecting her," he declared as Kate breathed out, not knowing what to say. "It just feels odd that she won't be there every morning, she won't be there in her bedroom."

"Castle," Kate sighed. "She adores college, she has lots of friend and she adores her subjects," Kate explained as he nodded slowly. "I know it's scary to start with because she's not here anymore and she's looking after herself but she's brilliant at it," Kate declared quickly, desperately trying to calm his nerves about his daughter now being at college without him to look after her. "And she comes and visits us a lot and she'll probably visit more now that we have Harry."

"Harry is not allowed to grow up that quickly," Rick insisted after a few moments of silence, a laugh leaving her lips at his determination.

"He has to grow up at some point Castle, he'll always leave home at some point," she commented as he glanced back to sleep at their sleeping son.

"Then we should have lots of children," Rick declared as shock covered her face. "If that's an option, if that's something you'd want," he said nervously before she smiled weakly, realising that they were having this conversation. "Kate do you want more kids?" Rick asked.

"I guess," she said quietly after a few moments. "I mean not right now, but when Harry's a little bit older and we're a bit more settled in our lives," she began before laughing. "Are we really having this conversation?"

"Alexis brought it up and well, I thought we should probably discuss it," Rick admitted as she nodded slowly, concentrating on the road. "I'd like more kids with you Kate," he declared as she smiled.

"Let's get your memory back and then perhaps we could think about another baby," Kate stated quickly, her smile growing as she began to drive up to the house, the writer relaxing when she parked the car and finally looked across at her husband. "Go and show Harry the sea," Kate smiled before she leant across and kissed him gently, the writer's own smile growing against her lips. Hearing a small cry, Kate watched as Rick climbed out of the car and lifted Harry out of the vehicle, holding him close before walking down towards the sea while she climbed out of the vehicle.

"Come on Kate, you're coming with us," Rick called out as she laughed and ran to join them, her smile growing as they stepped onto the beach together. "Kate," he said quietly as they kicked off their shoes and slowly walked into the water.

"Yes," she said quietly.

"Did a man die in my pool here?" he asked quickly before she burst into laughter before running further into the water while Rick held onto Harry close to his body and watched his wife in amazement. "I'm serious about the question Kate," he called out as she turned to face him.

"Yes Castle, a man died in your pool and a cop thought I was a prostitute," she replied as his eyebrows rose.

"Now this has got really interesting."

**What do you think? Please review, they mean so much to me. **


	36. Chapter 36

Hearing the sound of the waves hitting the beach, Kate smiled as she slowly opened her eyes to find the sun beaming through the room, lighting it perfectly. Turning in the bed, Kate smiled at the sight of her husband sleeping beside her gently. She knew he found it difficult to say goodbye to Alexis and he'd gone to bed late, his excuse being that he was working on the next Nikki Heat. Sliding out of the bed in silence, Kate quickly moved towards the door, only turning for a brief second to see that Rick was still asleep before she walked out and moved towards her son's bedroom. Pushing the door open, she quickly moved towards her son's bed before smiling down at her son who was kicking his legs wide awake.

"Hey you," Kate smiled as she reached in and brushed her fingers across his cheeks as he squealed loudly. "What are you doing awake and not making lots of noise?" she questioned, lifting her son into her arms before she moved towards the balcony. She adored the Hamptons; she loved their little heaven away from the city where they could just forget themselves. It had been their retreat from everyone when they first started relationship, the weekend getaway when they'd had a hard case at work and the family home. She adored it; she loved every memory attached to their time here excluding the thoughts of a man dying in their pool. Sitting herself on one of the chairs while Harry grasped at her t-shirt, Kate laughed before she pressed a kiss to her son's head and relaxed back. He was getting bigger every day and she loved watching him develop and his character appear. He was a happy baby, he didn't scream for hours like she'd imagined when she'd found out she was pregnant and he was slowly starting to sleep through the whole night and she knew that he adored being held by them more and she loved having him close to her chest, awake or asleep. "Sometimes, when I wake up in the morning I'm amazed that I'm a mommy, that I'm your mommy Harry," she admitted, not noticing the writer who was slowly approaching the balcony. "For a while I didn't think I wanted a family. I didn't think I would ever be ready for a husband or a baby but then I met your daddy and fell in love with him and all of a sudden I was married to this amazing man," she explained before laughing. "He's annoying sometimes and extremely childish but he really is amazing and then I got pregnant with you and well, you were my missing piece Harry Castle."

"You're pretty amazing too detective," Rick smirked as she rolled her eyes and turned her head to look at him, loving his bed hair and the pyjamas that were tangled around his body from where he'd been turning most of the night. "You look beautiful," he commented as he moved towards her before leaning down and kissing her gently, her smile growing against his lips at the contact. "Like every morning, I don't think I've ever actually seen you look bad detective."

"Shut up you liar," Kate laughed before he sat down opposite her and stared at the small body who was against her chest, his fingers holding onto her t-shirt tightly. "He's like a little monkey today, clinging onto me like I'm about to disappear," she smiled as Rick nodded in agreement, taking in how beautiful she was with her messy hair and pyjamas on and their young son pressed against her chest. "What do you want to do today Castle?"

"I want to enjoy being with my wife and son without having to think about anything else," he said quickly before leaning across and kissing her gently. "Let's go on the beach or something, have a relaxing day," he suggested as she nodded and slowly moved to stand, holding Harry in her arms as he kept hold of her t-shirt. "Want to go to daddy while mommy gets changed?" he asked quietly, smiling when Kate attempted to move in but found his tiny fists tightening. "Clingy boy," Rick whispered as the brunette nodded and sat back down, knowing she wouldn't be able to move until Harry let go of his hold of her and she could move around. "How about I go and make us some breakfast and you can see if he'll let go?" Rick suggested as Kate nodded, watching as he stood up and moved towards her before pressing a kiss into her hair and moving inside. Preparing their breakfast in silence, Rick smiled as he glanced outside before walking up the stairs and approaching the balcony again to see Harry now resting on Kate's lap while he kicked his legs in the air. "I see he's decided to move then," he commented as he walked onto the balcony and rested their breakfast on the table in front of them before taking the seat next to her. "At the start of our partnership who would have thought we'd be here?"

"Neither of us," Kate smirked as he nodded in agreement before stealing a quickly kiss. "I thought you were a pain in the ass and you just wanted to sleep with me," she commented as Rick laughed, moving to take this son into his arms while she reached across for her breakfast, taking a bite of the fruit he'd prepared. "Those first few weeks, I would have thought I was insane if I'd thought about this and then we started to become friends."

"You realised how useful I was," he blurted out as her eyebrows rose.

"I don't know if I'd go that far Rick," she smiled as he glared across at her before she smiled down at Harry who was cuddled into Rick's arms fast asleep again. "But I'll admit you are useful," she added as he smiled at her in amazement before she rested against him. "I'm going to get dressed Castle," she whispered as he nodded and watched her stand up before moving towards the balcony door before turning to face him. "I'm glad that we didn't jump straight into bed with each other."

"Why?" he questioned, wanting to know what was causing the large smile on her face.

"Because our friendship means the world to me Rick," she stated before walking out of sight.

XOOXOXXOXOXOO

"Are you actually building a sandcastle?" Kate smiled as she rested on her side on the blanket, the shade of the umbrella covering both her and Harry who was lying peacefully beside her while kicking his legs in the air like always while Kate watched her husband. She loved his childlike attitude at times.

"I'm on the beach," Rick responded before looking back at his wife who was smiling at him. "When on the beach, make sandcastles," he smirked as she rolled her eyes and relaxed back on her back, the writer staring at her in the bikini she was wearing. She was still not completely back to her usual figure but he adored staring at her body, even if she wasn't completely confident with it. "You're so beautiful."

"Rick," she moaned as he shook his head in response before leaning across to kiss her and laughing when Harry made a loud squealing noise from underneath him. "He doesn't like the attention not being on him," Kate admitted as Rick sat back up and ran his fingers across his son's chest while he continued to kick his legs in the air. "He's like his daddy."

"Hey! I can cope without the attention being on me Mrs Castle," Rick smiled as her eyebrows rose. "Okay, sometimes I can't but still."

"I know, I was just teasing you," she responded before sitting up and glancing across at the sea. "You get easily jealous though," she added as he stood up and moved to sit on the other side of her, not wanting to squash their son while attempting to hold her. Sitting down, Rick quickly wrapped his arms around her tightly as she rested against him and shut her eyes.

"Who wouldn't get jealous Kate? You're an extraordinary woman and there have been a few men around to get jealous of," Rick whispered into her hair as they lay down on the blanket and turned to face each other, Rick glancing across at his son who was now grasping hold of his feet in amusement. "There was Will," he began as she groaned.

"Castle, Will and I were nothing during our partnership," Kate declared as he shrugged.

"He'd still dated you Kate but it wasn't until later though that I became really jealous of him," he explained as he ran his fingers across Kate's hip, still amazed that he was allowed to touch her and kiss her. He had married Katherine Beckett, they were in the most serious relationship she'd ever had and probably he'd ever had as well. "And then there was Demming."

"We hardly dated Rick," Kate responded as he shrugged.

"He started replacing me Kate, you just wanted to be around him," Rick stated as she shut her eyes for a moment. "And you were going on that weekend break with him."

"I said no," Kate blurted out before she opened her eyes and stared at her husband who was confused. "I ended it with Tom before you went to the Hamptons, I was going to ask to go with you but you…" she began.

"I invited Gina," he groaned before shutting his eyes in frustration.

"Rick, we wouldn't be here if it hadn't have been for that. We probably would have had an amazing weekend but that probably would have been it. We weren't ready for a relationship and our friendship would have been destroyed," Kate explained, leaning up to kiss Rick before turning to face her son while Rick's arm rested over her body to keep her close to him.

"And Josh," Rick hissed in her ear as she bit into her lip, knowing how much Castle had hated her last boyfriend. "I hated Josh more than anything Kate."

"I know you did," Kate whispered as she smiled at her baby son.

"I never got why you were with him," Rick admitted as Kate sat up and brushed her fingers through her hair before lifting Harry into her arms and cradling him close. "I'm sorry, I should stop talking."

"No, it's something we should discuss. If you want to know about it then I'll tell you, I don't want any secrets," she explained as she glanced across at him before he sat up and rested his hand on her back. "Josh was different, he worked similar hours to me and he could understand. I just wanted someone who wouldn't be there all the time, someone who could understand why I wouldn't be there but then I slowly began to realise that wasn't what I wanted. I wanted someone I could be open with and close too, I kind of realised I wanted someone who would understand my work hours and yet would still try and persuade me to stay home. I wanted us, the relationship we have."

"I love you," Rick whispered, pressing a kiss into her dark hair as Harry began to sob in her arms. "Do you want to go inside?" the writer questioned as Kate nodded slowly before standing up, holding her son close as she began to walk towards the house while Rick followed with their belongings. Entering their house, Kate slowly moved towards the couch by the window before she rested back in the corner and moved her bikini top while Rick followed her in silence and leant against the door, watching in silence as she held their son to her breast. "You're beautiful," Rick said quietly as she glanced up and smiled.

"I might have been in stupid relationships in the past that meant nothing and stopped me from dating you but this is where I am now Castle and the only relationship I'll ever be in for the rest of my life," Kate said quietly as he moved towards her and rested against the arm of the couch.

"Vaughn?" he asked as she groaned and glanced down at their child, knowing that this was helping Rick with his memory but was also bringing up painful memories from their past. "I was stupid, that whole thing was my fault."

"I was being stupid too but we got through it and look at us now," she declared as he glanced down at their son. Their son wouldn't be here if they hadn't dealt with their issues. "We've made some mistakes Castle but we love each other and that's never changed even with a billionaire turning up on the scene and trying to kiss me."

"He tried to kiss you?" Rick said in shock.

"I thought you remember that," he said quietly.

"I remember there being issues and I'd been neglecting you and he was flirting with you," he stated as she bit into her lip. "What was he thinking? Trying to kiss you," Rick blurted out before standing up in frustration and moving towards the window.

"Castle it was almost two years ago," she responded as Harry moved away and she was able to sort her bikini out, holding Harry to her chest as she attempted to stand up and move towards her husband. "I know it's new to you but we got over it Rick. It was just a blip," she whispered as she remained behind him, her hand running up and down her sons back as Rick turned to face her, realising how stupid he was being. It was in the past, they got through this and he was being stupid. "I love you, I was stupid and nervous at that time because it was reaching my longest relationship and things had been strained but we got through it."

"I'm sorry, it's just…" he began as she nodded, his fingers brushing against Harry's curls as she stared at him in amazement. "I love you, I love you so much Kate," Rick whispered, leaning down to kiss her as she smiled against his lips before he took Harry into his own arms. "I'm being stupid," he declared emotionally as he held Harry close. "It's just frustrating."

"It's okay," Kate smiled before resting into his arms. She knew Rick was getting fed up of not being able to remember everything but she knew he was getting better with everything he remembered but patience wasn't Rick's best quality. "You're going to remember all of this one day Rick, I promise, it just might take a while longer than we originally expected."

"I don't blame Vaughn for trying to kiss you, you're an extraordinary woman and I don't blame any man for trying," he whispered as Kate remained close, not wanting to move away from him. She was concerned that he was still worried about Vaughn or any man hitting on her and she didn't want him to worry about it anymore.

"Why don't we let Harry have a nap?" Kate questioned as Rick nodded slowly and took her son into her arms before moving towards the stairs while Rick followed her in silence. Watching as Kate rested Harry into his crib in silence when she entered the nursery, Rick felt his smile grow before she turned to face him before slowly approaching him and finding his hands. "He'll be asleep for a while Rick," she said quietly before kissing him gently and wrapping his arms around her body tightly as her lips moved against his. "Let's go to bed," she whispered as his eyebrows rose before she stepped away, holding onto his hand as she led him towards their bedroom.

**I'm not happy with this chapter but it's up to you. **

**If there is anything you want to see please tell me, it helps me write and the ideas are brilliant and give me something to write around. Thank you for your reviews, they've been amazing and I love hearing from you. **


	37. Chapter 37

"Kate can you get the door?" Rick called out from Harry's room as he continued to dress their son, the brunette groaning as she walked out of their bedroom towards the front door to find out who was knocking loudly. She was desperate to spend the day with her husband and son and whoever was disturbing their peace was about to meet an extremely frustrated brunette. Approaching the door, Kate quickly opened and laughed in shock at the sight of Lanie, Jenny, Ryan and Esposito who were stood in the doorway with their suitcases.

"What are you doing here?" Kate said in amazement as she tightly wrapped her arms around Lanie before laughing and moving away to look at all four of her friends before stepping away from the doorway. "Come in, Castle's getting Harry ready," Kate explained before her four friends entered the building and slowly walked toward the corridor before entering the living room, Kate closing the door before joining her friends who were relaxing on the various couches. "What are you four doing here then? Wanted a free holiday?" the brunette questioned before sitting down beside Lanie as Ryan and Esposito shook their heads at her comment.

"Castle called us last night and invited us for the weekend. We didn't have a case and Gates gave us time off so we decided to take him up on the offer," Ryan explained as confusion quickly covered Kate's face before she nodded and heard his approaching footsteps from the corridor. Entering the room quietly, Rick smiled as he held Harry in his arms before laughing when both Jenny and Lanie held their arms out for the small boy while Kate laughed and rolled her eyes at the two other women. Watching as Rick passed their son to Jenny, Kate smiled before he moved towards her and sat down in the gap beside her, sneaking his arm around her waist as she rested against him and watched Jenny hold Harry close to her while Ryan smiled at her.

"Everything okay Rick?" Kate whispered up to Rick as he nodded slowly, not saying anything as he kept her close. Why had he suddenly invited their friends up to the Hamptons without discussing it with her first? It was supposed to be a family holiday so why was everyone suddenly here? "Castle, come and help me with something," the brunette announced, Rick standing just as she started to walk out of the room after his wife. Entering the kitchen to find Kate leaning against the oven, Rick slowly shut the door before moving towards her. "What's going on?" she questioned.

"Nothing," he stated, falling silent when Kate's eyebrows rose in response to his statement. "Kate, I just thought it would be nice to spend time with our friends," he explained before kissing her gently, her head shaking as she pulled away from him and glared up at him.

"Castle what's going on with you?" Kate asked quietly as she wrapped her arms around his neck to keep her close. "You're hiding something from me Richard Castle, we've been together long enough for me to know when you're hiding things from me," she explained as he leant down and rested his head against hers for a moment. "Talk to me."

"I remembered something," he whispered as she glanced up at him, confused at what had upset him so much. "We were on this case," Rick began as she nodded, not surprised by his opening sentence. "We were about to leave this apartment and suddenly there was a noise and you were just standing so still and you looked terrified," he explained.

"Castle," she whispered as she shook her head, realising what had scared him.

"You looked so scared, you were just standing there and you were so brave," he blurted out, brushing his hands across her cheeks as she glanced up at him. "Brave like you always are Kate. I tried to keep you occupied, I was telling you all these memories and then you made me leave and I didn't seem to fight it. I just walked out and left you," he stated as she shook her head and tightly wrapped her arms around his body before kissing him quickly.

"You came back," she promised as he stared at her. "You didn't leave me, you came back and I was so angry with you for a minute but if you hadn't, I wouldn't have got out of there alive," Kate said quickly before kissing him again, desperate to keep him close. "You stupid man, you came back. You only went to buy coffee and then you solved the case."

"I wanted to bring our family here Kate, I wanted to surround everyone with family and people who love them because on that day you were alone," he whispered before kissing her again and brushing her hair away from his face. "We better make sure that none of them have run off with our baby," he whispered against her lips as she nodded and laced her fingers with his before they slowly walked out of the room together and into the living room to find Lanie now holding Harry in her arms.

"So boys are you coping without me at the precinct?" Kate questioned as the two men nodded and smiled at each other before glancing back at the female detective.

"Yeah, all the paperwork we can't be bothered with goes onto a nice pile on your desk for when you get back Beckett," Javier said quietly as Kate laughed and cuddled into Rick's side again, watching as Lanie continued to smile down at Harry.

"Oh watch out Esposito," Rick laughed as confusion covered the detective's face. "I think someone is going to want to start a family soon," he observed as Javier glanced down at Lanie who was now smiling up at him while he shook his head at her.

"We are not having babies, not yet," Esposito stated as Lanie rolled her eyes at him before smiling down at Harry again. "I am not ready for that sort of commitment, I'm still young!"

"So am I old then?" Kate questioned, everyone laughing when horror covered Esposito's face as he tried to find a response.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Are you enjoying that Harry?" Kate laughed as she stood in the water with Harry in her arms, the waves brushing against his feet as he squealed in excitement. "You're a water baby aren't you?" she smiled before kissing his head gently and smiling when another wave crashed against their bodies while she glanced across to see Rick talking with Ryan and Jenny while Esposito and Lanie walked down the beach together in the distance. "Let's go and see daddy Harry," she smiled before walking towards her husband, her smile growing when Rick held his arms out towards their son.

"Did you have fun?" Rick asked when he finally had Harry in his arms, his eyes watching as Kate wrapped a towel around her body and smiled at them. "Your just like your sister Harry Castle, you love the water," he smiled as the Ryan's watched them in silence.

"Alexis liked the water when she was a baby?" Kate asked as Rick nodded and brushed his fingers across Harry's hair as the small boy continued to squeal in his father's arms. "Must be a Castle and Beckett thing," she smiled as Rick nodded.

"Well we all know how much you love your baths detective," Rick declared as she rolled her eyes before standing up and smiling across at their friends who were silently watching Rick and Harry with small smiles on their faces. She felt terrible that they were enjoying their son when Ryan and Jenny were unable to have children. "Do you want to watch him tonight? I was thinking about taking Kate out for dinner," Rick asked as Jenny nodded immediately before reaching out for Harry, the writer passing the small boy over as Jenny cuddled him close.

XOXOXOXOOXOXO

"Kate we're going to be late if you don't hurry up," Rick called down the corridor before glancing across at the two couples who were smirking at him from their seats.

"If you tell me to hurry up one more time, I'm going to shoot you Richard Castle," Kate responded as everyone but Rick laughed, not surprised by her response. "I just want to get Harry to sleep before we go," she added a few moments later, a small smile covering Rick's face as he walked out of the room and approached the nursery, pushing the door open to find Kate in the rocking chair with Harry pressed against her chest. She was dressed in a deep red dress, her hair pinned back and she looked so happy to have Harry in her arms.

"You're beautiful," Rick commented as she glanced up and smiled at him. "I don't care if we're late when you look this happy," he smiled before approaching her and resting on the table that was beside her, staring down at the content child in her arms. "You were made to be a mom Kate; you're so good with him and you'd do anything for him."

"He's our baby Castle, I'd do anything for him," she said quietly before he leant down and pressed a kiss into her hair before his fingers brushed against Harry's chest. "He's so much bigger," she smiled, noticing how Harry's eyes were slowly starting to shut. "Five months ago he was just this tiny baby Castle, this tiny helpless baby and now he has this amazing character. Castle I fall more in love with him every day," she admitted before laughing and shaking her head. "He's asleep, we should probably go."

"Just a little bit longer," he smiled as she rolled her eyes, watching as he continued to stare at Harry. "I still can't believe we have a baby together Kate."

"Neither can I and I don't have amnesia," she smirked before standing up and gently resting Harry in his crib before stepping away and moving towards her husband, his arm sneaking around her body as she smiled up at him. "They'll be alright looking after Harry?" she asked as Rick nodded.

"Kate, they'll be fine," Rick muttered as he led her towards the front door. "We're going now before Kate changed her mind," the writer called out as Kate glared up at him before shaking her head. She knew that Harry would be okay, everyone had loads of experience with children and Rick wanted to spoil her so she should at least try. "I know you're worried because last time he was ill but he's fine Kate and we'll be back soon anyway. He'll probably sleep the whole time."

"I know," Kate sighed before kissing him gently and stepping out of the building. Climbing into the car, Kate smiled as Rick sat down beside her and watched as she pulled out of their driveway, leaving the house quickly. "Do you think Jenny and Ryan will be alright looking after Harry tonight?" she asked as Rick glanced across at her, watching as she drove towards the restaurant.

"She loves him Kate," Rick smiled as Kate nodded slowly. "They'll be fine Kate and Lanie and Espo are there as well and Jenny likes being with Harry, she enjoys being an Aunt. I think it would hurt her more if we kept her away from Harry."

"I know Rick, I just worry that it upsets her," Kate explained, pulling up before glancing across at her husband.

"Stop worrying, let's just enjoy our dinner together," he smiled, leaning across to kiss her before they stepped out of the vehicle and he tightly wrapped an arm around her body and led her into the restaurant. Saying their name, Rick smiled as a young waitress took them to their table before giving them a set of menus and walking away to serve another table. "So what happened after I solved the case with the bomb?" Rick questioned as Kate laughed and glanced down at the menu, trying to decide what to eat.

"We learnt that Gates knew about us and she told me to kiss you, saying that you deserved it," Kate smiled as Rick found her hand and laced his fingers with hers, the two of them still looking at the menu. "We kissed for a while and then we left."

"Come on Kate, I know that if you'd stepped on a bomb I wouldn't just take you home and act like it was a normal day. What happened?" he smiled, falling silent when the waitress walked over again. Taking their orders, the blonde smiled before disappearing again, allowing the couple to start their conversation again.

"We came back to the loft, we had dinner with Martha and Alexis, my dad phoned me back and I had a long talk with him," she explained as he nodded slowly. "We had a bath together, you read me the Nikki Heat you were working on at the time," she smiled as his fingers held hers tightly. "Neither of us could sleep so we made a fort in the living room after Alexis and Martha had gone to bed and we camped out watching Star Wars," she smiled before bringing his hand to her lips and kissing it. "We went home and acted like it was a normal domestic day because Castle that's what made us happy. We'd been in our relationship for nearly a year and we enjoyed being together and we liked being a normal family without the fame and the bombs and the murders so that's what we did that night. We were a normal family."

"I love you," Rick whispered as she bit into her lip. "I don't think I tell you enough."

"You don't need to tell me," she responded as he stared at her. "You show it with everything you do Castle," she smiled as he nodded slowly.

"Do you ever regret marrying me sometimes?" he asked as she immediately shook her head. "Even with the amnesia and everything that's happened with Tyson, you don't regret it."

"Richard Castle, you're my one and done. The amnesia is just another part of our story," Kate smiled as he nodded slowly, unable to take his eyes off her. "Never think that I regret this marriage because it's the best thing that's ever happened to me," she declared, squeezing his hand tightly before she moved away when they food began to arrive.

XOXOOXOXXOXO

"Stop, we'll wake everyone up Rick," Kate laughed as Rick continued to kiss her neck, his arms tightly wrapped around her body as they slowly walked down the corridor towards their bedroom. Pushing the door open, Kate smiled as Rick lifted her into his arms and carried her towards the bed as she bit into her lip nervously. "I love you Richard Castle," she whispered as he laid her down on the bed and stared at her in amazement.

"You're an extraordinary woman Kate," he commented as she rolled her eyes and reached up, her hand clutching around his shirt as she pulled him down so she could kiss him. Hearing Harry begin to scream, Kate felt Rick collapse against her body before she laughed and ran her fingers through his short hair and shut her eyes for a moment.

"I should go and check on him, he's probably hungry," Kate admitted as Rick remained against her. "Castle, I love you but you need to move. You're squashing me and Harry's hungry," she declared as he nodded and moved off her body before watching as she stood up and moved towards the door. "Come with me," Kate smiled from the doorway as he stood up and followed her down the corridor towards Harry's bedroom. Entering the room, Kate smiled at her son as she quickly walked over and lifted her son into her arms, cradling him close as he began to settle down. "Did you miss me baby boy?" she whispered, feeling him nestle into her arms as she moved to sit down in the rocking chair as Rick watched her. "I think he just missed us."

"I agree, he's used to you being there Kate. He probably woke up and was shocked when we didn't come running," Rick explained as the brunette nodded, glancing down at her son before shutting her eyes and relaxing back into the wooden chair. "You look comfortable."

"I am," she yawned as he leant down and pressed a kiss into her dark hair. "Go and get ready for bed, I'll just settle him down," she whispered as Rick nodded and walked out of the room. Changing quickly, Rick rested his clothes across the chair before walking towards the nursery again, not surprised to find Kate fast asleep in the chair with Harry asleep in her arms. Approaching her silently, Rick gently lifted their son out of his wife's arms before resting him in the crib and smiling down at him before moving towards his wife and lifting her into his arms, not surprised when she cuddled into his arms and yawned again.

"Come on silly girl, let's get you to bed," he laughed, resting her on the bed before sitting down and removing her shoes before sighing. He wasn't going to try and remove her dress, she was tired and he wanted her to sleep peacefully. Resting down beside her, Rick watched as she slept peacefully beside him. He was a lucky man, a really lucky man!


	38. Chapter 38

"I was wondering where he was," Rick smiled as he walked down the stairs and into the living room to find Jenny holding Harry, talking to him before she fell silent and turned to face the writer, nerves covering her face. "You're free to keep him for a while; he's enjoying being talked too by someone new. I'm sure he gets bored of me and Kate sometimes," Rick admitted, leaning down however to press a kiss to his son's forehead before he looked outside to see the sun rising slowly over the sea. "Did he wake you up Jenny?" he questioned as Jenny shrugged and smiled down at the small boy.

"No but he was awake when I walked past the room and I thought I'd bring him in here so he wouldn't wake anyone else up. It's still early and everyone was up late," the blonde explained as Rick remained silent for a moment, not knowing what to say to her. He wanted to ask how she was, how she and Kevin both were but he wasn't sure how she would think about that. "He's so lovely, you're both really lucky," Jenny admitted as she moved to sit down on the couch before resting the small boy against her thighs before Harry began to kick his legs in the air.

"How are you Jenny?" Rick finally asked as the woman looked up at him for a moment before staring down at Harry again. "Kate told me," he admitted before she sighed and relaxed into the corner of the couch before shutting her eyes briefly. "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want too," he added quickly, now worried that he'd upset her.

"No I'm fine, it's just no one's ever asked me before, they're too worried about upsetting me," Jenny admitted as Rick stared at the exhausted looking woman. "I always thought I would have this huge family, the moment I met Kevin it was all I wanted," she explained before shaking her head. "I can't describe the moment that the doctor told us that I couldn't have kids naturally," the blonde stated as she opened her eyes and glanced across at the writer.

"Are you going to try other ways Jenny?" Rick questioned as she shrugged before smiling down at Harry who was beginning to relax against her thighs. "There's IVF, adoption," he suggested as she nodded slowly, knowing all the options that were available to her.

"We're looking into them kind of," she said quietly. "We haven't told anyone yet, Kevin's doesn't want to talk about it because he's scared of upsetting me. IVF just seems so terrifying and big right now and with Kevin's job it's scary to think of how to fit it in because they'll be appointments to attend," she admitted before shutting her eyes and shaking her head. "I don't think I could do it without him being there all the time to help me and with their job they can't be around when we need them can they?"

"Jenny you can't let the job get in the way of what you and Kevin want. He could get time off while everything is going on. Gates might be angry but she's not cruel, she'd understand," Rick explained as she remained silent for a moment. "If you ever want to talk, we're here. Kate and I," he smiled as Jenny nodded, passing Harry to him before standing up and thanking him. "No problem, we're here to talk whenever you need it," he stated, watching as she silently walked out of the room, the writer guessing that she was returning to bed. Hearing footsteps, Rick continued to stare at her the doorway, surprised when a yawning Kate walked into the room with a pair of shorts and one of his shirts pulled on.

"What are you doing up already?" Kate questioned, moving towards the couch before she cuddled into his side and tickled the child he was holding.

"I was talking to Jenny actually," he admitted as her eyebrows rose. "They'd be amazing parents," he whispered as Kate nodded slowly in agreement before leaning up and kissing him. "I hope they get the chance to have a baby," he muttered as she slowly sat up and took Harry into her arms, cuddling the small boy close to her body as he smiled at her. "We're so lucky to have our family, to have all of our crazy family."

"We are," Kate smiled before yawning. "Let's go and cuddle in bed, it's still early," Kate suggested before standing up and holding a yawning Harry against her chest. "I think someone else wants to go to bed, that makes two out of three so we win Mr Castle," she explained as Rick laughed and stood up, her smile growing as their small family slowly walked out of the room towards their bedroom. "Let me put this one back in bed and then we can go and cuddle."

"Does cuddling mean making out?" he asked as she bit into her lip. "Because it's been a long time since we made out," he smirked as she rolled her eyes and entered the nursery, a small smile covering her face as she rested their son in the crib before leaning down and pressing a kiss to his head and moving away. Approaching the door, Kate laughed when Rick quickly lifted her into his arms and carried towards their bedroom before kicking the door open and carrying her towards the bed. Resting her against the duvet, Rick smile as Kate looked up at him and pulled him down for a kiss. "I love you."

"Did you remember anything last night?" Kate questioned as he shook his head slowly and felt her sigh against his neck before she kissed him again. "We're going to get there though Rick," she said quietly as she cuddled into his side and felt his hand slip under her shirt as her smile grew. Her eyes were shut and she was enjoying the feeling of his fingers brushing against her skin. "Look how far we've come since the accident. You've gone from not knowing about our relationship and our baby to remembering nearly a year's worth of cases and other things as well. We're going to get there Rick," she promised before kissing him again, his smile growing against her lips as she straddled him and stared down at him in amazement.

"I still can't believe that you're my wife," he whispered as she rolled her eyes at him. "Katherine Houghton Castle, you're my wife and we have an amazing family now and everything is better than I could have ever imagined," he explained before leaning up and kissing her again before his hands moved to her shirt buttons and began to quickly undo them before throwing the shirt across the room as her laugh began to ring around the room.

XOXOOXOXXOXO

Walking out of the bedroom, Kate smiled as she walked towards the office where she could hear her husband talking to himself. Entering the office, Kate smiled at the sight of Rick holding the phone to the ear as he talked to Alexis, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip before she stepped up behind his chair and wrapped her arms around his neck. She adored hearing him talk to Alexis because it reminded him of one of the first things that had attracted him to her. He may have seemed like a bastard in the early days of their partnership but his clear devotion to his daughter had made her see the different side to him.

"Look Alexis I've got to go now and you should get some breakfast before your lecture," Rick smiled before saying goodbye and putting the phone down, his head turning to kiss his wife who smiled against his lips. "It's nice to see that you're awake finally Mrs Castle," the writer smirked as she moved to sit on his lap while his arms slowly wrapped around her body to keep her close to his body. "They've all gone shopping," he whispered against her lips before they kissed again. "And they took Harry."

"They took Harry shopping?" Kate asked quickly as he nodded. "God help them, he is not a shopping baby and he will scream until they bring him home," she laughed as he brushed hair away from her face. "Do you remember his first trip to the shops?" she asked.

"He screamed so loudly that we just gave up and went home, we managed to persuade my mother to go and buy our groceries," Rick smiled as she nodded, remembering how loud her son had screamed and all the looks they'd received in the shops. Relaxing against her husband's chest, Kate smiled as she shut her eyes and allowed herself to enjoy his hold as they slowly fell silent. "So Mrs Castle, I have something to ask you," Rick stated as she nodded and smiled at him. "I was on the laptop this morning, just generally being nosy and seeing what we had saved," he explained as her eyebrows rose, guessing where this conversation was going. "There was this file, password protected and I've tried every single password I could think of but none of them worked," he stated, a laugh leaving her lips as she reached across for the closed laptop that was resting on his desk. "What's in this top secret file that you've hidden so well?" he whispered into her ear as she rolled her eyes and turned the machine on before finding the file he'd been talking about.

"You were supposed to delete this Mr Castle but you kept putting it off and well, I kept putting it off too," Kate admitted as she typed in the password.

"Hey, tell me the password Detective Castle," he immediately responded as she rolled her eyes at his protest.

"The location of our place," she said quickly as his eyebrows rose in confusion. "The swings, it's our place and no one else really knows about it," she explained before kissing him, moaning when he pulled away from her. "Castle," she muttered in annoyance.

"Katherine Houghton Castle there are extremely sexy pictures of you in sexy lingerie on the laptop," he squealed in excitement as she rolled her eyes at him before turning around to see the images he was flicking through. "Red lingerie is really sexy on you Detective, I love this top secret file," he declared as she rolled her eyes and climbed off his lap before walking towards the door, deciding to leave her over-excited husband alone.

"I'm going to make something to drink," Kate stated before walking out of the room, a laugh leaving her lips however when she heard her husband shout.

"Kate there's a video," he hollered in excitement as she rolled her eyes and began to walk towards the kitchen. "Kate you're taking your clothes off! You're doing a sexy dance and taking your clothes off on camera and it's really sexy," he shouted as she smiled to herself.

Oh she'd made her husband extremely happy!

**It's a short chapter and a rather random chapter but I thought I should update and I wanted to go further into Ryan and Jenny's relationship in this story. Anyway please review, I've been terrible at it at the moment but I've been busy and here's one. Are you still interested? Do you have anything you want to see in the story, I always except ideas? **


End file.
